Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Thursday there are actions being taken to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power in the wake of a deadly gas attack this week that killed dozens of civilians.
Tillerson, per Politico, spoke briefly with reporters at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort — the site of a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"Assad's role in the future is uncertain, clearly," Tillerson said. "With the acts that he has taken, it would seem that there would be no role for him to govern the Syrian people."
The United States believes the Syrian military was responsible for dropping chemical weapons in a town held by rebels in the country's northern Idlib province. The Tuesday attack left 86 people dead, including 28 children.
Tillerson said Thursday "steps are under way" in the international community to remove Assad from power in the war-torn nation.
"The process by which Assad would leave is something that I think requires an international community effort," Tillerson said. "Both to first defeat ISIS within Syria, to stabilize the Syrian country, to avoid further civil war, and then to work collectively with our partners around the world through a political process that would lead to Assad leaving."
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, told MSNBC earlier Thursday it is clear Assad has to be removed from office.
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