Syrian ruler says US plan to train rebels will be 'illegal,' as his ally Russia holds peace talks boycotted by main opposition coalition.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has been conducting a nearly four-year bloody crackdown on his own people, said US plans to train vetted rebels to fight Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists were "illusory" as they would eventually defect to the jihadists, in an interview published Monday.
The Syrian leader also questioned talks to be held in Moscow this week, telling Foreign Affairs magazine that his government would attend but was not convinced the opposition figures taking part represented Syrians on the ground. Washington has backed the Syrian opposition since early in the uprising and has unveiled plans to train more than 5,000 vetted rebels in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to fight ISIS.(Read More)
