Syria

Syria becoming Somalia of Middle East: US Senator

332333_syria warSenate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez has criticized US President Barack Obama for not having a strategy about the situation in Syria.

“Today’s hearing left me bewildered that this government does not have a strategy as to Syria,” Menendez told CNN on Thursday.

“It seems that we’re having meetings about how we get to meetings in Geneva, while Syria is becoming the Somalia of the Middle East and attracting an all-star cast of violent extremists,” he added.

He made the remarks following a Thursday Senate Foreign Relations committee hearing on the conflict in Syria.

“It’s beyond my imagination that at this stage we don’t have a comprehensive plan to try to get Syria into a different track,” the New Jersey senator said.

Menendez also noted that he would talk about Syria with Secretary of State John Kerry.

“The reality is I heard no comprehensive, cohesive strategy,” said Menendez. “This is not acceptable.”

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011.

The United Nations says more than 100,000 people have lost their lives and a total of 7.8 million others displaced due to the violence. A very large number of the militants operating inside the country are also foreign nationals.

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