ISIS, al-Qaeda Sign Cooperation Deal in Northern Syria

Groups Agree Not to Fight, and to Work Together

Details of the pact are still unclear, but the Associated Press is reporting that a deal has been signed between ISIS and al-Qaeda’s Jabhat al-Nusra somewhere in northern Syria.

The deal, signed last week, at the very least has the two factions, the largest in the Syrian rebellion, agreeing not to fight against one another, and to work together to some length against their mutual enemies, which is to say both the US and Syrian governments.

Previous agreements, including them along with other rebel factions, have amounted only to a basic nonaggression pact, though this appears to include more than a little open cooperation on top of that.

Before the US launched its air war in Syria in September, ISIS and Nusra were mortal enemies. The US strikes targeting both sides, however, have them convinced they have a mutual enemy that is more pressing than their own fighting.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.