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Libertarian presidential candidate Johnson asks ‘What Is Aleppo?’ in TV interview

An earlier version of this article misidentified the de facto capital of the Islamic State.

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So Aleppo isn’t just one site of tragedy among many in Syria.

What has gone on in the city of Aleppo has crossed Obama’s so-called “red-line” many times.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been googling “What is Aleppo?” after Libertarian presidential nominee stumbled over the question Thursday morning on MSNBC. Like if the Titanic had begun sinking but then blew up.

Syria’s 2011 pro-democracy uprising, which gradually devolved into civil war, has sparked a refugee crisis across the Middle East and Europe as millions fled their homes for safety.

“You’re kidding …” the incredulous Barnicle answered. “Well, with regard to Syria, I do think that it’s a mess”.

He added: “I think that the only way that we deal with Syria is to join hands with Russian Federation to diplomatically bring that at an end”.

“The only way that this Syrian situation comes to an end is with Russian Federation”.

Aleppo is the center of a lot of people’s concern across the planet.

“I feel disgusting”, Johnson told Mark Halperin of Bloomberg Politics. “And I understand the crisis that is going on”. Genuinely: trust me, nobody is taking this more seriously than I do.

Asked about the comments later in the day, Weld said Johnson has been traveling around the country and has “probably not read the newspapers as much as he might have”.

He acknowledged again on ABC’s The View that he had made a mistake. I think probably 85 percent of the people in the country couldn’t put Aleppo on a map, so I’m not sure the effect of the slip is going to be lasting at all. I think this gaffe will help Johnson in the end.

Asked about his running mate’s flub, Weld told reporters it could have happened to anyone and that Johnson has been busy campaigning.

“Yes, I understand the dynamics of the Syrian conflict – I talk about them every day”, he said. “I am talking about that everyday”.

The interview came hours after Johnson caused shock in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” when he responded to a question about the Syrian city of Aleppo by responding, “What is Aleppo?”.

The candidate’s spokeswoman said activists invited her to write something, so she painted the words, “I approve this message”.

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He told supporters on Saturday that the civil war in Syria is just one in a long string of USA attempts at “regime change”, an issue he said is a key issue that Libertarians oppose.

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson speaks at a campaign rally in Boston Massachusetts Aug. 27 2016. VOA