Since Syria’s Civil War began last year, both sides have been predicting a quick victory. For most of the summer, international groups kept expressing confidence that a ceasefire deal could be negotiated.
“We no longer count the days,” noted one Aleppo resident, whose city, the largest in Syria, has been contested in open combat for months, and has gone from the nation’s industrial capital to a wasteland of battlefields.
“We have been at it for 20 months and we could be at it for 20 more,” noted one of the rebel fighters, adding “I never imagined it would last this long.” Its likely that the Syrian government didn’t either, as they have repeatedly predicted new offensives would wrap up the war.
As it is the situation is pretty well a stalemate, with rebel gains in the north being offset by dwindling influence around Damascus, and efforts to increase rebel holdings in the far-east have sparked fights with Kurdish factions in the area.
Even the predictions of victory have slowed, with the various factions no longer trumpeting upcoming offensives as “decisive battles” and simply resigning themselves to a long, ugly civil war.