Syria vows to retake Kurdish-controlled areas

DAMASCUS - Syrian government forces will reclaim control of eastern areas controlled by the US-backed Kurds, whether by force or through reconciliation, the defence minister warned Monday.

"The only card that remains in the hands of the Americans and their allies is" the Syrian Democratic Forces, Ali Ayyoub said, referring to the force leading the battle to wipe out the last remnant of the Islamic State group's "caliphate".

"The Syrian government will deal with this issue in one of two ways: a reconciliation agreement or liberating the territory they control by force," he said at a joint press conference with the military chiefs of staff of Iran and Iraq.