NATO says collapse of Syrian regime a matter of time

The collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria is a matter of time, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in an interview to TRT Haber TV channel on Thursday.

"Assad's regime lost its legitimacy and control over the country long ago. The collapse of Assad's regime is a matter of time," he said.

Rasmussen said placing Patriot anti-aircraft missiles on the Turkish-Syrian border poses no threat to Iran or Syria, and is not directed against them. Their placement is aimed to defend Turkey against possible aggression.

Turkey appealed to NATO in the second half of November with a request to provide it with Patriot systems for protection against possible Syrian air attacks.

The Syrian army periodically bombs the border areas with Turkey. In October, six Turkish citizens were killed by Syrian Armed Forces in another direct hit.

Anti-government protests have continued in Syria for a year and half.

According to UN, the total number of victims of the conflict in Syria exceeds 30,000.

More than 230,000 have become refugees with around three million in need of humanitarian assistance. The Syrian authorities say they oppose the well-armed militants.


/Trend/