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Obama needs peace in Syria to defeat IS

Syria’s internal opposition says defeating the Islamic State is impossible without finding a solution to Syria’s civil war.
A man rides his bicycle along a street filled with debris in the Duma neighbourhood of Damascus September 10, 2014. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR45MM4
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DAMASCUS, Syria — After three and half years of war in Syria, Damascenes have become indifferent to the statements issued by local and international politicians and decision-makers. But this was not the case in regard to US President Barack Obama’s speech last week. Young and old, women and men, all were awaiting Obama’s speech.

Wherever one moved in the streets of the Syrian capital before the broadcast of the speech, you would hear words and conversations about the upcoming speech. “Will the US hit Syria?” “Maybe he is just concerned.” “The US war is different from the war we are living.” These are samples of what could be heard while roaming the streets of Damascus.

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