Syria’s Assad: Terrorist Groups, Turkish President Two Sides of Same Coin

“In fact, we cannot separate all these groups. ISIL and Al-Nusra have the same Wahhabi ideology and the same terrorist doctrine. ISIL, Al-Nusra and Erdogan that is affiliated with the Muslims Brotherhood, al Saud, and al Thani in Qatar, uphold the same doctrine,” the Syrian President told ONT news agency.

 “All these groups have something in common which is the extremist Wahhabi ideology. And all of them are instruments in the hands of the United States,” Assad added.

 “I’m not saying that they are instruments in the hands of the West, because Western Europe doesn’t practically exist on the political map. Europe implements what America wants, without any objection. All of these groups operate under the American leadership. So, whether we say that they are foreign powers, ISIL and Al-Nusra, or others, the director and financier is the same. They are all one group but with different names and different tactics,” Assad concluded.

In the past, Assad had accused Erdogan of being a Muslim Brotherhood sympathizer, adding that the Turkish President has facilitated the growth of ISIL and Al-Nusra in Syria.

Media outlets said on Thursday  that the Turkish army and militants supported by Ankara forced the young people who left al-Wa’er district in Homs for Northern Syria to fight for them.

Hawar news quoted a local source in al-Ra’i district of al-Shahba region that the Turkish army deprived the residents of food and forced them, specially the under-18-year-old children, to fight and work for them.

The source added that al-Wa’er residents immigrated to the region based on the Turkey-backed militants’ fake promises and then were treated awfully in a way that if the conditions continue, they would die of hunger.

Noting that the militants were under the direct command of the Turkish spy agency, he said that the Turkish army promised to give them a monthly salary of $300 but did not pay anything to them after they came to Northern Syria.