Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah said that “the root cause of the problem in Syria lies in Assad’s brutal policies, not in ISIS.”
Attiyah stresses that people of the region do not sympathize with ISIS or its extremist views, but they are trying to remind everyone of the root cause of the problem, namely the Assad regime’s brutal policies. “The killing of over 300,000 people killed and the indiscriminate barrel bombing of women, children and the elderly underscores the brutality of this regime,” he said.
Al-Attiyah also warns against considering partnering with Assad in the war on terrorism, pointing out that “after four years of mass killings of Syrians it is unreasonable to say that the Assad regime can be a partner in the fight against terrorist groups as it has drawn terrorist groups to Syria like a magnet.”
In a similar vein, President Khoja points out that the international anti-ISIS air strikes have so far proven they are unable to curb or stop the expansion of this extremist group, stressing that the Free Syrian Army have proven its effectiveness in defeating ISIS as the FSA expelled ISIS militants from much of Aleppo province since early 2014.” He reiterates calls on the friends of the Syrian people to “support our project aimed at institutionalizing the FSA and establishing the Syrian National Army, as this the sole glimmer of hope to defeat the Assad regime and to eliminate terrorism rampant in the region.” (Source: Syrian Coalition + Agencies)
