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11/02/2024 01:29:13 pm

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Obama’s Syrian Airstrikes Against Daesh Gain Bill Clinton’s Approval

Bill Clinton

(Photo : Reuters/ Arnd Wiegmann) Former President and UN Special Envoy to Haiti Bill Clinton addresses delegates at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos January 28, 2010.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton approved of President Barack Obama's move to authorize airstrikes and arm rebels in Syria to defeat the Islamic State terror group, also known as Daesh.

On Wednesday, Clinton expressed his support for Obama and commended the incumbent president's administration for carefully devising a plan that will limit U.S. involvement in the war, CNN relayed.

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The former U.S. president also urged others to support those who are risking their lives for this fight.

"I support what they (the Obama administration) are doing," Clinton told Erin Burnett of CNN.

As for the provision of arms to Syrian rebels fighting Daesh, Clinton said the move is "worth the gamble," the report said.

Both Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, the former U.S. Secretary of State, have previously been unsupportive of Obama's Syrian policy. Hillary had expressed her disagreement with the president's decision on arming the rebels.

However, Clinton's opinion of Obama's new policy on Syria took a U-turn on Wednesday. The present administration assessed the situation and determined that arming the rebels who want to build an inclusive Syria will most likely work, Clinton explained.

Hillary also expressed her support for Obama's decision. During an interview with CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, she acknowledged the need for a "very robust response" to the danger Daesh poses. She said she thinks Obama's decision to involve the rest of the world in the action is right.

On Tuesday, a U.S.-led coalition launched its second set of air attacks in Syria and Iraq. The strikes targeted not only Daesh members but also another terrorist group that has gained popularity recently.

The airstrikes in Syria and Iraq also aimed to destroy the Khorasan group, an offshoot of al Qaeda whose members have transferred to Syria, the U.S. said.

According to Clinton, the people who make up Khorasan are not the same terrorists responsible for the September 11 attacks in 2001, but they are still core members of al Qaeda.

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