Assad: Terrorists are hiding among Syrian refugees
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday claimed there were “terrorists” among the refugees displaced by the Syrian civil war.
DAMASCUS, Syria (Kurdistan24) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday claimed there were “terrorists” among the refugees displaced by the Syrian civil war.
In an interview with Yahoo News, the Syrian President claimed terrorists were “definitely hiding among the 4.8 million people who have been displaced.”
“Those terrorists in Syria, holding the machine guns and killing people, they [appear as] peaceful refugees in Europe or in the West,” Assad stated.
“You don’t need a significant number to commit atrocities,” he continued.
“It’s not about the number, it’s about the quality, it’s about the intentions,” the Syrian President added.
Moreover, Assad related his comments to the Sep. 11 attacks in the United States and claimed the violence was “pulled off by fewer than 20 terrorists.”
Asked if he knew how many of the 4.8 million refugees were terrorists, Assad declared “no one at all” knew.
“No one has any number,” he said. “Nobody knows all the terrorists to give a percentage.”
Additionally, the Syrian President was asked whether his remarks justified the US President Donald Trump’s recent immigration ban.
“I am not American to justify [the immigration ban],” he said.
“Only American people will say: ‘This is against the interest of the United States or with the interest,’” Assad added.
The Syrian leader said non-Americans could only discuss the “humanitarian value” of Trump’s decision as outsiders.
On Jan. 27, the US President issued an executive order banning the entry of immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries.
The ban has since been put on hold by a court ruling on Feb. 3.
Editing by Ava Homa