Syrian President Bashar Assad said that any U.S. troops coming to Syria to fight the Islamic State are ‘invaders’ because they don’t have permission to enter the country, according to reports.
The Syrian president said that there has been no “concrete action” from the Trump administration on ISIS.
Any troops that come into the country without Syria’s permission would be invaders whether they from the U.S., or Turkey, Assad said, according to CNN.
Assad made the comments during an interview with Chinese outlet Phoenix TV. During the interview he also dismissed the effect of foreign troops on fighting ISIS.
“What are they going to do? To fight ISIS? The Americans lost nearly every war. They lost in Iraq, they had to withdraw at the end,” Assad said.
U.S. officials have said that marines arrived in the northern part of the country to support U.S.-backed local forces that are preparing to mount an assault on Raqqa, ISIS’ capital.
Meanwhile, twin blasts on Saturday in the Syrian capital of Damascus reportedly killed at least 40 Iraqi pilgrims and injured 120.
The pilgrims were visiting holy shrines in the city. The explosions happened at the Bab al-Saghir cemetery, a sacred cemetery that has the remains of descendants and companions of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed.
