Assad must go, ISIS must be destroyed – US

US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has to go, and that Russia and Iran should use their influence to convince him to negotiate a political transition with government rebels.

Kerry said the United States welcomed Russia’s involvement in tackling the Islamist State in Syria but a worsening refugee crisis highlighted the need to find a compromise that could also lead to political change in the country. 

“We need to get to the negotiation. That is what we're looking for and we hope Russia and Iran, and any other countries with influence, will help to bring about that, because that's what is preventing this crisis from ending,” said Kerry.

“We're prepared to negotiate. Is Assad prepared to negotiate, really negotiate? Is Russia prepared to bring him to the table?”

Kerry added: “It doesn't have to be on day one or month one ... there is a process by which all the parties have to come together and reach an understanding of how this can best be achieved.”

Kerry said he did not have a specific time frame in mind for Assad to stay. “I just know that the people of Syria have already spoken with their feet. They're leaving Syria.”

On Friday, Kerry said Russia and America “share the same goals” in the battle against Islamist State and that both countries felt the need to stop and completely destroy ISIS.

Meanwhile, on Friday, Syrian army carried out at least 25 airstrikes on Islamic State positions in the city of Palmyra. At least 26 people died in the bombardment on Friday, including 12 Isis militants, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The bombings were the second wave of regime airstrikes against Isis in as many days. On Thursday, government jets carried out at least 12 strikes on Raqqa, the de facto capital of Isis in northern Syria.

A separate round of regime airstrikes on Friday against the Isis stronghold of Idlib killed at least 19 people, the observatory said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that Islamist rebels have executed at least 56 Syrian government troops captured in fighting for an air base in the north-west of the country. The soldiers were reportedly killed by fighters belonging to Jabhat al-Nusra, affiliated to al-Qaeda, and their extremist allies earlier this week after they took the Abu al-Duhur military airport, in Idlib province, on 9 September.