MOSCOW, September 11 (RIA Novosti) – Terrorist groups in Syria and beyond must be confronted with both security and political measures, UN envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura told journalists Thursday after a meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus.
"The terrorist groups need to be confronted and that's clear," de Mistura said, as quoted by Agence France-Presse.
"But there is no contradiction... in fighting terrorism both with security measures... but also with [an] accelerated and effective, all-inclusive political process that will contribute to isolate the terrorists from the rest of the population…The two should go hand in hand," de Mistura added.
De Mistura's comments come as the United States moves to form a coalition of countries to tackle the Islamic State (IS) group operating in Syria and Iraq.
On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama said Washington would wage a campaign against the IS, including air strikes on Syrian soil and the provision of aid to Syrian rebel groups.
The IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), is a radical Sunni group, which has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. In June, it started launching attacks in the northern and western regions of Iraq, announcing the establishment of a caliphate on all territories under its control.
In August, the United States started launching air strikes against IS positions in Iraq.
