Syria’s Assad: Some Syrian refugees ‘definitely’ terrorists

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s President Bashar Assad says in an interview that there are “definitely” terrorists among the millions of Syrians seeking refuge in the West.

In an interview with Yahoo News, Assad says it doesn’t have to be a “significant” number of terrorists. He says: “You don’t need a significant number to commit atrocities.” Excerpts of the interview were aired Thursday. The full interview is to run Friday.

Assad considers all armed opposition in the war that has beset Syria since 2011 as “terrorists.”

Assad wouldn’t comment on whether U.S. President Donald Trump was justified in issuing a ban on seven Muslim countries, including Syria. He calls it an “American sovereignty” issue.

His priority, Assad says, is to “bring those citizens to their country, not to help them emigrate.”