Iraqi Officials Brief Syria on Anti-ISIS Coalition Plans

US Rules Out Cooperation, But Intel Continue to Flow

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.

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.