Top Russian MP Says U.S. Closer to 'Illegitimate' War in Syria
President Barack Obama is moving the United States closer to an "illegitimate" war in Syria, raising echoes of predecessor George W. Bush's moves before invading Iraq, a prominent Russian lawmaker said Sunday.
"Inescapably, Obama is moving towards war in Syria just like Bush was towards war in Iraq," Alexei Pushkov, the head of the Russian lower house of parliament's international committee, said on Twitter.
"Just like in Iraq, this war will not be legitimate and Obama will become a Bush clone."
Earlier Sunday, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the country's military was ready to take action against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime if ordered.
The U.S. and its allies are assessing intelligence on allegations that Assad's forces unleashed chemical weapons against his own people last week.
Russia, which has supported Assad through the two-and-a half-year conflict in Syria, branded as "unacceptable" calls for Western nations to consider using force against the regime.
Moscow also questioned Western and Syrian opposition claims that the Damascus regime might have used nerve gas.
In 2003, U.S. troops invaded Iraq following accusations by then U.S. president George W. Bush's administration that Saddam Hussein's regime possessed weapons of mass destruction.
Those claims later proved false. The eight years of war in Iraq killed nearly 4,500 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis.
Source: Agence France Presse
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