Syria’s deputy FM slams US plan for training militants
Syria’s deputy foreign minister has slammed a plan by the United States and its allies for training militants operating in the Arab country, saying Washington had better help those really engaged in the fight against the terrorists in Syria instead of fueling more militancy.
In a piece of article published on Saturday in his weekly column for the Lebanon-based al-Binaa newspaper, Faisal al-Mekdad stated that the recent plan announced by Washington would only lead to a surge of terrorism in Syria.
Mekdad said the US administration should help those really fighting the terrorists in Syria and stop cooperating with the Takfiris, adding that the program could further complicate the shaky efforts made to find a political solution to the crisis.
Mekdad’s remarks were the first by a Syrian high-ranking official since Washington announced plans to expand the already-started training of the militants in Jordan to other countries like Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
US officials have claimed that the training would only cover what they call moderate militants and not those fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. More than 220,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced so far due to the crisis in the country.
According to recent reports, one million more people in Syria were forced from their homes last year, bringing the total number of displaced Syrians to 7.6 million, or 40 percent of the population.
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