World

Obama not yet decided on military action in Syria: US official

"The president has not made a decision to undertake military action," says official.

Reuters August 27, 2013

western powers have told the syrian opposition to expect a strike against assad 039 s forces within days sources who attended a meeting between envoys and the syrian national coalition in istanbul told reuters earlier on tuesday photo afp file

Western powers have told the Syrian opposition to expect a strike against Assad's forces within days, sources who attended a meeting between envoys and the Syrian National Coalition in Istanbul told Reuters earlier on Tuesday. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has not yet made a decision to order military strikes against the Syrian government in response to last week's alleged chemical weapons attack near Damascus, a senior administration official said on Tuesday.

The assertion by the US official, which echoed the White House's comments on Monday, came amid mounting signs that Washington and its allies are edging toward a limited use of force against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's loyalists.

Western powers have told the Syrian opposition to expect a strike against Assad's forces within days, sources who attended a meeting between envoys and the Syrian National Coalition in Istanbul told Reuters earlier on Tuesday.

"The president has not made a decision to undertake military
action," the US official in Washington told Reuters.