Kerry: ‘There Is Evidence that Assad Has Played Footsie’ with ISIL

‘One of our judgments is there is evidence that Assad has played footsie with them, and he has used them as a tool of weakening the opposition’

Kerry: "There Is Evidence That Assad Has Played Footsie" With ISIL (RealClearPolitics)

REP. DANA ROHRABACHER: Let me understand, the proposal that I seem to be seeing here is that we support the free Syrian Army and we build them up, and although it does have some good elements, there is every indication that it is riddled with radical Islamic terrorists, many of whom are more committed to fighting Assad's regime than fighting ISIl. And Assad's regime which of course means us no harm, they themselves are fighting ISIL. In the end it seems to me we are going to be providing weapons to undercut an enemy of ISIL, who is engaged deeply in fighting that radical Islamic terrorist element. Am I wrong in that? Am I missing something there? The dynamic that's created in the end? A big army that Assad's regime's armed forces are going to be undercut by what we're doing?

JOHN KERRY: Regrettably Congressman, no we're not going to be undercut, because. If Assad's forces indeed do decide to focus on ISIL significantly, which they haven't been doing throughout this period, one of our judgements is there is evidence that Assad has played footsie with them, and he has used them as a tool of weakening the opposition. He never took on their headquarters, which were there and obvious, and other assets that they have. So we have no confidence that Assad is either capable of or willing to take on ISIL.

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