Obama does 'not foresee' US troops in Syria

US President Barack Obama refused to rule out any options Friday to deal with the war in Syria but said he did not foresee deploying US troops if the regime is proven to have used chemical weapons.

 

"As a general rule, I don't rule things out as commander-in-chief because circumstances change and you want to make sure that I always have the full power of the United States at our disposal to meet American national security interests," Obama said. "Having said that, I do not foresee a scenario in which boots on the ground in Syria, American boots on the ground in Syria, would not only be good for America but also would be good for Syria." 

 

Speaking during a visit to Costa Rica, Obama said there was evidence that chemical weapons had been used in Syria, but that "we don't know when, where or how they were used." But if "strong evidence" is found of such weapons being used by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, "then that is a game changer for us" because "there is a possibility that it lands in the hands of organizations like Hezbollah."

 

-Sapa-AFP