Assad Rejects Safe Zones, Would Welcome US Troops

Says US Must Be Willing to Coordinate in Fight Against ISIS

In an interview about US involvement in the Syrian Civil War, President Bashar al-Assad said he would welcome US military involvement in the fight against ISIS, provided the intervention was coming with a willingness to coordinate with the Syrian military.

That’s a statement the Syrian government has made in the past, saying they view unilateral intervention as a potential violation of their sovereignty, and want all the anti-ISIS moves to be coordinated with their own ongoing anti-ISIS operation.

At the same time, Assad rejected President Trump’s talk of creating “safe zones” in northern Syria, saying the only way to create safe zones of any meaningfulness would be to defeat the terrorists in the country, making all of Syria a “safe zone.”

While the Obama Administration repeatedly ruled out coordination with Syria, the Trump Administration has as yet not done so, and with suggestions they are open to working with Russia on fighting ISIS, it seems like coordination with Syria would be a possibility.

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.