Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has attempted to distance himself from the violence his forces have committed against the Syrian people in their uprising against his regime. In an interview with ABC News, Assad said he did not give his forces a command to “kill or be brutal.” Assad went on to add, “They are military forces [who] belong to the government. I don’t own them. I’m president… No government in the world kills its people, unless it is led by a crazy person.” The United Nations estimates Assad’s troops have been responsible for the deaths of more than 4,000 people and committed gross human rights abuses, including torture, targeting of journalists and the killing of children. In Washington, State Department spokesperson Mark Toner criticized Assad.

Mark Toner: “It either says that he’s completely lost any power that he had within Syria, that he’s simply a tool, or that he’s completely disconnected with reality. It’s hard for us to say, but, you know, what we insist is that he has lost all credibility in the eyes of his people and needs to step down.”