The Obama Administration continues to rule out any coordination with the Syrian government on the ongoing war with ISIS, but seems to have set up a fairly robust system of indirect collaboration.
In addition to the US provision of intelligence by way of Germany to the Assad government, the Iraqi government remains closely allied to Syria, and is holding meetings to discuss strategy.
Iraqi National Security Adviser Faleh al-Fayad met with Syrian President Bashar Assad today for a lengthy discussion on the latest developments in Iraq, particularly as it relates to the anti-ISIS coalition.
Assad and the US aren’t on the same page on the ISIS war, with the US trying to court the Gulf Arab states as coalition partners, and Syria saying the best thing Iraq and the others could do is to convince them to stop bankrolling Islamist rebel factions whose fighters and arms are increasingly flowing into ISIS.
That’s not just in conflict with the US strategy, it’s the exact opposite, as President Obama is pushing for increasing arms to the rebels as a way of creating “alternatives” to ISIS. So far, this has failed, and the overwhelming amount of territory and influence ISIS has suggests that arms to the “moderate” rebels will continue to find their way into ISIS hands one way or another.
Regular contact between Iraq and Syria solves the US problem of not wanting to coordinate with Syria, as it would risk alienating the Saudis, while ensuring the flow of information continues apace.
They are neighbors, good, friendly neighbors usually helps each other. USA is 7000 miles away from Iraq and Syria, not only they never were a good earthy neighbor, but a very disturbed and never wanted to help but to distract earthy neighbors to be united.
Good that Iraq took on that role. Good for Syria and for us. Of course if he had a foreign policy in place, Iraq would be a backchannel for the US to work with Syrian. But I'll take anything that deviates from the neocon line that Assad's government is to be treated as if it didn't exist.