Quoted in Syrian state media, President Bashar Assad is pushing for “real and sincere international cooperation” to defeat ISIS in Syria, urging the US anti-ISIS coalition to work alongside him.
“The region is going through decisive times,” Assad warned, cautioning that past backing of various rebel factions was a big part of why ISIS got so powerful in the first place.
Nominally, the US has been insisting their focus in the war against ISIS is ousting Assad first, though they have also conceded that they are not actually doing anything to oust Assad.
Indeed, the US is already cooperating with the Assad government, despite its claims to the contrary. Officials have been funneling intelligence to Assad for months through intermediaries, including Germany and Iran.
Remaining distanced from Assad seems to be the administration’s attempt to save face about their failed attempts at regime change, but it’s obvious that the focus is on ISIS, the same enemy Assad is fighting.
