I think it might be more accurate to say the war in Syria is coming to an end. It has not yet ended. Turkey, the US and some opposition groups, have now accepted the inevitability of Assad staying in power as the only legitimate government in Syria.
There is no official ceasefire in place, and the UN is still warning that Syria is still too dangerous a place to live and operate. A group started to leave the demilitarised zone on September 30, while a small group of refugees returned to Syria from Lebanon. These are certainly good signs, but they don’t mean the war has ended.
In December 2016, Syrian rebels started to evacuate the city and were forced into a surrender that was seen as a significant turning point in the war. Opposition fighters who did not lay down their weapons were evacuated with their families. The transfer of rebel fighters was partially overseen by Turkey, which staged its limited intervention to carry the fractured army.
Moscow has made headway in recent weeks with the US main Syria partner, the Kurds, who have begun talks with the Syrian government in hopes of realizing some degree of self-rule in the North. Russia also recently negotiated to sell an advanced weapons system to Saudi Arabia. Over the course of the war, many peace initiatives have been launched, but fighting continues.
