US CIA officials said this in a statement during a briefing on Syria in Washington on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

According to them, the Syrian government continues paying the servicemen their monetary allowances on a regular basis, while defections by several senior officers, including one General, have had little, if any, effect on the situation in general.

The CIA experts expect the Syrian conflict, raging already for more than a year, to drag on and on. President Bashar al-Assad said yesterday that Syria is in a state of war, so every effort should be bent to win that war.

 

TASS

 

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