Syria fighting and diplomacy escalate ahead of peace talks
  • 11 years ago
Shelling in the town of Qusair unverified video purports to show -- as heavy fighting continues throughout Syria.

With more and more actors becoming embroiled in the bloody conflict, Syrian Reconciliation Minister Ali Haidar said the U.S. should ask all foreign fighters to withdraw before expecting Lebanon's Hezbollah to do so.

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ALI HAIDAR, SYRIAN MINISTER OF RECONCILIATION, SAYING:

"All Chechens, Caucasians, Afghans and Pakistanis arriving in northern Iraq and northern Africa, why did not U.S. State Department ask them to withdraw?"

The comments are in response to the U.S. State Department's Wednesday demand that Hezbollah withdraw its fighters from Syria immediately.

Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan government officials have confirmed that some young men have left their homes to join the fight.

(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) CHAIRMAN OF KYRGYZSTAN REPUBLIC STATE COMMITTEE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY BEYSHENBAI ZHUNUSOV, SAYING:

"According to our m
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