Syrian President says ‘No cooperation with US on ISIS’

Middle East, News February 10, 2015 , by IRIA No Comments

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has ruled out Syria’s joining the US-led coalition carrying airstrikes against what are said to be ISIS positions in Iraq and Syria, since members of the coalition are themselves sponsors of terrorism.

Responding to a question in a Tuesday interview with the state-funded BBC on whether Syria would participate in the US-led campaign, Assad said, “No, definitely we cannot and we don’t have the will and we don’t want, for one simple reason – because we cannot be in an alliance with countries which support terrorism.”

Assad said that he was not against cooperating with other countries in their battle against the ISIS terrorists, but would refuse to talk with American officials “because they don’t talk to anyone unless he’s a puppet.”

Assad also slammed the US officials for “easily trampling” on international law and violating Syria’s sovereignty, in reference to the airstrikes that are being carried out by the US-led coalition inside Syria without authorization from Damascus.

“And they easily trample over international law, which is about our sovereignty now, so they don’t talk to us, we don’t talk to them,” he said.

The Syrian president also said that his government is receiving messages from the US-led coalition battling the ISIS.

There had been no direct cooperation since airstrikes began in Syria in September, but third parties – among them Iraq – were conveying “information,” he said.

“Sometimes, they convey a message, a general message, but there’s nothing tactical,” he said, adding, “There is no dialogue. There’s, let’s say, information, but not dialogue.”

The Syrian president further dismissed as “childish story” allegations that forces had been using barrel bombs in the conflict.

“We have bombs, missiles and bullets… There is [are] no barrel bombs, we don’t have barrel [bombs].”

The ISIS terrorists control some parts of Iraq and Syria. They are engaged in crimes against humanity in the areas under their control. They have terrorized and killed people of all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, and Christians.

Since August, the US and some of its allies have been conducting airstrikes against alleged ISIS positions in Iraq. Some members of the US-led coalition also started bombarding ‘ISIS targets’ inside Syria in September.

However, the raids have so far failed to dislodge the terrorist group.

The Syrian president further dismissed as “pipe dream” efforts by the US to train and equip so-called moderate opposition forces to fight the ISIS on the ground in Syria, arguing that there were no moderates, only militants from ISIS and al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front in Syria.

Earlier on January 16, the Pentagon announced it is deploying about 1,000 troops to train the militants in Syria to fight against the ISIS terrorist group.

The training program, which is expected to begin in early spring, will also include hundreds of US support personnel, who will be operating at sites in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, according to the Pentagon.

YH/HJL/HMV