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Syria's Bashar al-Assad says Donald Trump's focus on Isis ‘promising’

US President tweets: 'The threat from radical Islamic terrorism is very real, just look at what is happening in Europe and the Middle-East. Courts must act fast!'

Suleiman Al-Khalidi,Ahmed Tolb
Tuesday 07 February 2017 10:25 GMT
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An Isis militant appearing in a propaganda video at a Russian base in the Syrian city of Palmyra on 13 December
An Isis militant appearing in a propaganda video at a Russian base in the Syrian city of Palmyra on 13 December

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said US President Donald Trump prioritising the fight against jihadists by Islamic State was promising although it was too early to expect any practical steps, state news agency SANA has reported.

Trump has indicated he might cut US support for Syrian rebels and might help Syria in the fight against Islamic State.

He has made defeating Islamic State a core goal of his presidency and signed an executive order asking the Pentagon, the joint chiefs of staff and other agencies to submit a preliminary plan on how to proceed within 30 days.

Assad was quoted by SANA as telling a group of Belgian reporters: “I believe this is promising but we have to wait and it's too early to expect anything practical.”

In a tweet on Monday, Trump said: “The threat from radical Islamic terrorism is very real, just look at what is happening in Europe and the Middle-East. Courts must act fast!”

Assad was also quoted as saying that US-Russian cooperation in stepping up the fight against the militants would have positive repercussions.

Reuters

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