Syrian president: ISIS expanding despite airstrikes

Syrian president: ISIS expanding despite airstrikes
By Jesse Byrnes - 03-29-15 19:01 PM EDT

Syrian President Bashar Assad denies that U.S.-led airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have blunted the group's advances in the region.

"Sometimes you could have local benefit, but in general if you want to talk in terms of ISIS – actually ISIS has expanded since the beginning of the strikes," Assad said in an interview with Charlie Rose broadcast Sunday on CBS's "60 Minutes."

"Some [Americans] wants to sugarcoat the situation...to say that it's getting better...'ISIS is being defeated' and so on," Assad said. "Actually, no, you have more recruits."

Assad points to estimates that ISIS had 1,000 recruits every month in Syria, and is expanding in other countries, such as Iraq and Libya.

The Syrian president's power has apparently been strengthened in recent months with backing from Russia and Iran, as well as the U.S.-led anti-ISIS airstrikes in Syria starting in September, 2014.

Syria views ISIS as a common enemy, though U.S. officials maintain they aren't coordinating with Assad's regime against the terrorist group.

U.S. officials have also maintained throughout Syria's bloody four-year conflict that Assad had lost credibility and should be replaced, though officials have tempered their rhetoric on that position.

"We have to negotiate in the end," Secretary of State John Kerry said in an interview earlier this month, conceding Assad would be part of a diplomatic solution to the country's civil war.

Assad told CBS he would be "open" to dialogue with the United States.

"They should be ready for the talk, they should be ready for the negotiation," Assad said.

Assad told CBS he sensed that he has support in the nation, which has seen more than 200,000 people killed and several million people displaced in the past few years, according to the United Nations.

"When I don't have the public support. When I don't represent the Syrian interests, and values," Assad answered when asked under what circumstances he would give up power.

The U.S. has conducted anti-ISIS airstrikes in Syria along with Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.