Qatar doesn’t rule out ‘military intervention’ in Syria

Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah has not ruled out military intervention in Syria by Qatar and its allies with the ostensible aim of saving civilians from aggression by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

In a Wednesday interview on CNN, al-Attiyah said that Qatar had “knocked on all doors for a peaceful solution” in war-torn Syria.

At least 250,000 people have been killed since the Syria conflict began in 2011, according to UN figures, with another 7.6 million internally displaced and over four million having fled to nearby countries.

According to al-Attiyah, the UN Security Council has not done enough to help the Syrian people, prompting Qatar, along with those he described as Syria's “friends”, to shoulder the responsibility.

The Qatari FM went on to say that, while Qatar preferred a political solution for Syria, it would nevertheless do whatever it could -- in coordination with allies Saudi Arabia and Turkey -- to save the country from division, including possible “military intervention”.

Russia, an ally of the Assad regime, began carrying out airstrikes in Syria on Sept. 30. According to the Kremlin, the strikes are aimed at weakening the Daesh militant group, an avowed enemy of the regime.

Turkey and several western countries, however, accuse Russia of targeting moderate groups in Syria opposed to Assad, many of which enjoy the support of Ankara and Washington.