Syria determined to counter terrorism: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says his country is determined to confront and eradicate terrorism, as the Arab country continues to struggle with a massive insurgency referred by many as a proxy war of Western and some regional countries.
According to state news agency SANA, Assad made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation of Mauritanian party leaders, in the capital, Damascus, on Sunday.
“Syria has welcomed all constructive, genuine efforts to find a political solution to the crisis,” the Syrian president said.
However, he said, Syria “is at the same time determined to confront terrorism and eradicate it.”
Assad added that the “cohesion” between the Syrian army and his country’s people would help Damascus defeat the foreign-backed militants fighting to topple the government since 2011.
Syria has been gripped by a deadly unrest since March 2011.
Earlier this month, Assad vowed to strike out Takfiri militants in his country with an “iron fist.”
Earlier on Sunday, a team of United Nations chemical weapons inspectors arrived in Damascus to begin its investigation into the alleged use of chemical weapons in the country.
According to reports, Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.
The UN says more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million others displaced since the outbreak of the violence.