US lawmaker says she met Assad on secret Syria trip

The US congresswoman who made a recent secret trip to war-torn Syria said Wednesday she met there with President Bashar al-Assad as part of her effort to end the years-long conflict.

House Democrat Tulsi Gabbard this month traveled to Damascus and the decimated city of Aleppo on a fact-finding mission, where she met with refugees, Syrian opposition leaders and relatives of fighters on both sides of the divide, in addition to Assad.

"Originally, I had no intention of meeting with Assad, but when given the opportunity, I felt it was important to take it," Gabbard said in a statement.