Former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam urged the United States on Friday to arm the country’s opposition in its war against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
“The U.S. should provide the Syrian opposition with weapons, instead of sending troops,” Khaddam said in an interview with Al Arabiya news channel.
Meanwhile, the top opposition official claimed “there’s no doubt” the Syrian government possesses chemical weapons. However, Khaddam considers daily massacres taking place in Syria to be “more dangerous.”
Khaddam’s statement comes after U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday that Washington is still considering “all options” in response to the use of chemical weapons in war-torn Syria.
The United States said recently that some 150 U.S. military specialists have been deployed in Jordan since last year, according to AFP.
The American government said the deployment of U.S. troops in Jordan is to help secure chemical weapons amid fears they could fall into the hands of extremist Islamist fighters battling Assad’s forces.