Trump: Syria May End Up With Worse Than Assad if US-Backed Rebels Overthrow Govt

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — If US-backed rebels in Syria are successful in overthrowing the government the country could wind up in worse hands than those of President Bashar Assad, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said in the third and final debate with Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"We are backing rebels — we don’t know who the rebels are," Trump explained on Wednesday night. "If they ever did overthrow Assad… you may very well end up with worse than Assad."

Assad has proven tougher than the United States ever thought while Russian President Vladimir Putin has outsmarted Clinton and the Obama administration every step of the way.

Clinton, for her part, claimed a no-fly zone should be implemented over Aleppo if its purpose is clearly communicated to Russia.

Aleppo has been engulfed in a heavy fighting since the forces of the legitimate Syrian government of President Bashar Assad began a major offensive on the rebel-held eastern districts of the city following the collapse of the ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States in early September.