President Assad: Saudi, Turkey, Qatar ISIL’s Backyard

Local Editor

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stressed that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar are the backyard of ISIL Takfiri group because they are supporting the insurgents.

In an interview with China's Phoenix television, Assad said that ISIL (so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Levant) does not have incubator in Syria.

“Logistically, all kinds of supports to ISIS, whether it’s human resources, money, and selling their oil, and so on, passes through Turkey, in cooperation with the Saudis and Qataris, and of course with American and Western overlooking of what’s going on,” the Syrian leader said, according to state-run SANA news agency.

President Assad during interview with Chinese TV

President Assad during interview with Chinese TV

“But without this logistical space, or let’s say backyard, to ISIL cannot survive, because it doesn’t have the incubator in Syria.”

Meanwhile, Assad said that the Syrian army is advancing on "nearly every front" thanks to Russian air strikes that began in September under the request of Damascus.
"Now I can say that the army is making advancement in nearly every front... in many different directions and areas on the Syrian ground," he said, speaking in English.

Assad noted that unlike Washington, Moscow is coordinating with Damascus over the airstrikes in Syria, adding that the Russian airplanes are depending on the Syrian troops on the ground.

Meanwhile, he reiterated that terrorism is real obstacle to solve the current crisis in the country, refusing to describe the crisis as a “civil war”.

“We said that you cannot take any concrete political step before defeating terrorism, because this is the biggest obstacle, and this is the prime concern to every Syrian; every Syrian wants to have security and safety. How can you achieve anything in your life if you’re not secure, politically or economically or in any other aspect? So, this is the priority.”