Ash Carter: Russia’s ‘Certainly Made Ending the Syrian Civil War Harder’

‘The Russian behavior in Syria has certainly made ending the Syrian civil war there harder’

RUSH EXCERPT:

CARTER: "Virtually zero. They came in and they said they were going to fight ISIL and they said they would help end the civil war in Syria. They haven’t done either of those things. The consequence, of course, we’re fighting ISIL ourselves, we have a campaign plan that you see unfolding in mosul today in raqqah today. I’m encouraged that’s going exactly according to the plan that we laid out about a year ago. In fact, Iraqi security forces are approaching the tigris river as we speak today." 
TODD: "Secretary Kerry and an exit interview of sorts, seemed to say that whatever the red line decision by President Obama on Syria, however folks want to interpret it now got interpreted as something was going to happen and then when nothing happened it created this vacuum. Do you tend to agree with that premise?" 
CARTER: "I wasn’t secretary of defense then. That was then and now is now." 
TODD: "Has it made your job harder?" 
CARTER: "The Russian behavior in Syria has certainly made ending the Syrian civil war there harder." 

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