US President Barack Obama said today that four months before the end of his mandate, he is "haunted by the chaos in Syria", but rejected criticism of himself, saying that he does not have a "satisfactory solution" to the crisis in that country.
"The situation in Syria keeps haunting me," Obama said in an interview with the Veniti Fair newspaper, adding that the hundreds of thousands dead in Syria and the millions of refugees made him wonder if he could have done anything differently over the past five or six years. how long is the war in that country.
Obama again rejected criticism that he did not react "well enough", saying that he prefers to consider various options and make decisions according to the information he has.
"However, sometimes I wonder if I could have found different solutions somewhere," said the US president.
Obama spent three days in New York, at the general debate of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly, and spoke about refugees, but did not say much about the Syrian conflict itself.
He left that task to US Secretary of State John Kerry, France Presse agency said.
12 people were killed, including a minister in the opposition government
At least 12 people, including the "minister" of the Syrian opposition government, were killed today in a car bomb attack in southern Syria, the opposition announced.
"At least 12 people, including Yakub al-Ammar, the minister for local self-government of the interim government (the opposition), were killed, and several dozen people were wounded by the explosion of a car bomb in the town of Inhel," government spokesman Chadi al-Jundi told AFP.
The attack was carried out during the ceremonial opening of the police station in that town in Deraa province, where the uprising against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began in 2011.
The interim government, formed in November 2013, administers the zones in the hands of the rebels.
Danford: It's not a good idea to share intelligence with the Russians
US Army Chief of Staff Joseph Dunford said today that it is not a good idea for the US military to share intelligence on Syria with Russia.
Dunford and US Defense Secretary Ash Carter are testifying today before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The ceasefire agreement in Syria reached by the US and Russia on September 9 envisages military cooperation between the two countries against the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, if violence is reduced and humanitarian aid is delivered for seven consecutive days.
The Pentagon, however, expressed reservations about coordinating airstrikes and sharing intelligence with Russia.
Dunford said the US military does not intend to have a joint data exchange operation with Russia.
He said that there was no doubt that Russia was responsible for the aerial attack on the humanitarian convoy in Syria and added that both Russian and Syrian planes were in the area at the time of the attack.
Dunford said he was not sure whose plane dropped the bombs that killed 20 civilians.
A senior US official, who asked not to be named, said yesterday that the US is convinced with a high degree of certainty that the attack was carried out by a Russian plane.
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