Bashar Al-Assad Reuters Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad said on Thursday that Donald Trump is "the best US president."

Speaking in an interview which aired on Syrian television and quoted by Yediot Aharonot , Assad explained, "He is not a good president because of his policies, but because he is the most transparent. Various American presidents have made political mistakes and crimes, and received a Nobel Prize for it."

"Trump says 'we want oil', 'we want to get rid of a certain person', 'we want to provide a service in exchange for money' and that is the truth. This is US policy. What is better than a transparent enemy?" he added.

Assad also discussed the American operation which led to the elimination of Islamic State (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, saying, "We had nothing to do with the elimination. There is no communication between us and American officials. Moreover, we cannot tell whether he was really eliminated or not.”

He added that ISIS could change its name and crown a new leader, "but the idea will continue to exist."

"As far as al-Baghdadi's elimination is concerned, US policy is no different than what is common in Hollywood - it's all based on imagination," claimed Assad.

On the fighting in northern Syria, the Syrian President said his ultimate goal was to retake all the Kurdish-controlled areas in northeastern Syria after the sudden US withdrawal, but added that it would happen gradually.

The ceasefire agreement between Turkey and Russia aimed at pushing the Kurdish militias to a depth of 30 kilometers from the Turkish border is a step that will help Damascus achieve its goal, said Assad. "These areas will return to our control," he declared.

Tags: Syria , Bashar Al-Assad , Donald Trump