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Syria rejects foreign boots on ground to fight ISIL

Monday, 09 February 2015 12:54 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 09 February 2015 1:52 PM ]

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem (R) gestures during a news conference with Belarusian counterpart, Vladimir Makei, in Damascus on February 9, 2015. (AFP Photo)

The Syrian foreign minister says his country will reject the deployment of foreign troops on its soil for battling the ISIL Takfiri militants.

Walid al-Muallem said on Monday that Damascus does not need and will not tolerate any presence of foreign ground troops on its territory.

"We will not permit anyone to violate our national sovereignty by intervening to fight ISIL," Muallem said during a joint press conference with his Belarusian counterpart, Vladimir Makei, in Damascus.

Muallem added that Syrian troops are “honorably” undertaking the task of fighting the Takfiris.

Press reports over the past few days suggest that the US-led coalition against ISIL, which has been carrying out airstrikes against the terrorist group, may decide to intensify its fight against the group.

This comes as ISIL released a video last week purportedly showing the brutal killing of the Jordanian pilot, Maaz al-Kassasbeh. The move led to harsh statements by various governments, with the most notable of them Jordan which, according to some reports, is mulling a ground operation against ISIL in Iraq and Syria.

Muallem said Jordan had failed to respond to Syria’s recent request for coordination in the campaign against ISIL.

"So far, there is no coordination between Syria and Jordan in the fight against terrorism," he said.

Jordan is a member of the international coalition against ISIL. However, Damascus has been insisting that Amman has been one of the main supporters of the Takfiri groups fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

MS/HMV/SS

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