The war in Syria has been rumbling on for six years (Picture: REUTERS/Haleem Al-Halabi)

President Assad of Syria, who denies using chemical weapons against his own people, and Islamic State are ‘inextricably connected’, according to a top US senator.

Former presidential candidate John McCain has called for greater military action in Syria following President Trump’s airstrike U-turn.

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McCain joined with Senator Lindsey Graham to link ISIS with Assad.

Peace in Syria can only be achieved if Assad leave office, claim both men, who sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee.


Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad (Picture: REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters)

The war has claimed thousands of lives and displaces millions (Picture: REUTERS/Jalal Alhalabi)

In a statement the pair said: ‘President Trump’s decision to strike back against Assad for using chemical weapons against innocent civilians was a strong statement much appreciated by the civilised world.



‘What is needed now is a strategy that secures U.S. and allied interests in Syria – ending the conflict, dealing a sustainable defeat to ISIL and Al-Qaeda, and beginning to repatriate Syrian refugees to their homes.

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‘Our strategy cannot presume to separate the fight against ISIL from the Syrian people’s fight against the Assad regime.

‘They are inextricably connected. Assad is a puppet of Iran, and as long as he continues to slaughter his own people, it will be impossible to destroy the radical terrorist groups that occupy Syria and the region, and the war will never end. Nor will the threat posed by these groups to our nation.

‘As part of a broader strategy, we urge the President to take greater military action to achieve our objectives, including grounding the Syrian air force and establishing safe havens inside Syria to protect Syrians.

The two senetors came together to make the comments (Picture: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

‘There will never be a diplomatic solution as long as Assad dominates the battlefield.’

It comes after an escalation of the conflict occurred when Trump intervened in the war.

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The American President intervened after a ‘red line’ chemical weapons was crossed by Assad, but in a Fox Interview Trump said ‘We’re not going into Syria’.

Defence Secretary Jim Mattis noted incorrectly that ‘the intent was to stop the cycle of violence into an area that even in World War II chemical weapons were not used on battlefields’.

Nazis used chemical weapons beside the Black Sea killing thousands on the Eastern front.

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