[Shafaq News] Syria has dropped off the radar. Whatever international press the country receives is usually inspired by the periodic updates UN officials deliver to the UN Security Council—updates replete with urgent warnings about a humanitarian crisis, continued violence, and an exponentially depreciating Syrian currency.
Yet in the last few weeks, Syria's trials and tribulations have returned to the front pages. While the civil war between dictator Bashir al-Assad's government and its armed opponents has largely wound down, plenty is still going on in the country.
The most significant story emerging out of Syria this week occurred in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, host to most of the country's meager oil reserves and agricultural resources. This area has been split between pro-government forces and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with the Euphrates River serving as the dividing line. |