BY TOM O'CONNOR
A top Russian lawmaker said Moscow's mission in Syria was nearly complete, with the Syrian government set to restore control over the country's eastern border and the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) almost entirely defeated.
Vladimir Shamanov, chairman of the defense committee in Russia's lower house of parliament, told state media Monday that he expected the Moscow-backed campaign by the Syrian military and its allies, including militias supported by Iran, to defeat ISIS in its final stronghold in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor by the end of the year.
http://www.newsweek.com/russia-defeat-isis-declare-victory-syria-end-2017-lawmaker-696611
