Mar 31, 2017 - Politics & Policy

U.S. will no longer push to oust Assad in Syria

Hassan Ammar / AP

UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said the U.S. is no longer focused on getting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad out of power, per Reuters.

Our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signaled the same while on a visit to Turkey, according to CBS: "I think the status in the longer term…of President Assad will be decided by the Syrian people."

Why it matters: This is a departure from a long-held U.S. policy, and constitutes a break from some coalition allies. Trump has said fighting ISIS will be a higher priority than ousting Assad and that he's willing to work with Russia, which supports Assad.

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