Syria says the year-long revolt to topple President Bashar al-Assad is now over, but it will keep its forces in cities to "maintain security" until it is safe to withdraw in keeping with a U.N.-backed peace deal.
But Assad's forces keep firing. And the deal is supposed to start with Syrian "troops" (what about other security forces?) pulling out of cities.
And the resistance hasn't accepted the deal.
Nor has the resistance decided that overthrowing Assad isn't their goal.
But it will help to muddy the waters and delay any movement to intervene against Assad by allowing Assad to pretend he is complying with world pressure to stop killing Syrians.