The US State Department’s spokesman has dismissed claims made by Syrian President Bashar Assad during an interview with The Associated Press as “ridiculous,” adding they show that Assad has lost his legitimacy to govern.
In the interview, Assad told AP that the US deliberately targeted Syrian Government soldiers in an airstrike that killed dozens. The US has said the strike was accidental and they had intended to target Islamic State group militants. Assad
says the US lacks “the will” to join forces with Russia in fighting extremists.
State Department spokesman John Kirby says “it’s difficult to see how these ridiculous claims deserve a response, except to say they prove yet again the degree to which Assad has lost his legitimacy to govern.”
He says it underlines how vital it is for the international community to “achieve a political solution that gives the Syrian people a voice in their future.”