Syria will not compromise on its sovereignty by allowing foreign troops on its soil to fight Islamic State militants, Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said on Monday (February 9).
“I clearly say that we are keen and defending the Syrian sovereignty. We won't allow anyone to infringe upon the national sovereignty and we are not in need of [foreign] ground troops to enter Syria to fight Islamic State. The Syrian Arab Army is carrying out this mission with full courage,” Walid al-Moualem told journalists at a news conference in Damascus.
US and partner nations conducted three air strikes in Syria and six in Iraq since Sunday (February 8) in their battle against Islamic State, according to the US military.
The strikes followed three days of air strikes by Jordan.
Amman said it had conducted 56 bombing raids in that period against the militants in northeastern Syria, targeting key bases and arms depots in a stepped-up campaign in response to the killing of a Jordanian pilot.
Islamic State has captured swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in an effort to set up an Islamic Caliphate.
For more details, watch Bassam Abou Zeid’s full report in the video above