U.S. Says Opposition Violence Plays into Syrian Regime's Hands
The United States said Wednesday that the use of violence by the Syrian opposition plays into the Syrian "regime's hands," adding it did not condone violent acts by either side.
State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner was reacting to reports that Syrian army defectors had attacked a Syrian military intelligence base on Wednesday in one of the most daring raids in eight months of unrest.
Toner told reporters that it was "not surprising" that the opposition is resorting to violence in response to the deadly crackdown by President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
"We don't condone it in any way, shape or form but ... it's the brutal tactics of Assad and his regime in dealing with what began as a non-violent movement (that) is now taking Syria down a very dangerous path," he said.
He squarely put the blame for the violence on the regime in Damascus.
"We don't condone violence, not on the part of the Syrian military, the Syrian regime, nor on the part of the opposition," Toner said without going as far as condemning opposition attacks.
"We think that this kind of violence ... it really plays into Assad's and his regime's hands when this becomes violent," Toner said.
"This was a peaceful movement in its inception and it's only because of the regime's repeated and brutal campaign of violence against innocent protesters that we're seeing the country move down this very dangerous path."
Toner appeared to allude to concerns the country could erupt into civil war with the risk of events spilling over into neighboring countries.
Source: Agence France Presse
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