Syria received messages from US on fight against ISIS, claims Assad

(IraqiNews.com) On Thursday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad revealed that his government had been receiving messages from the United States about the fight against the ISIS organization, pointing out that some parties, including Iraq, are delivering those messages. He excluded the possibility of Syria joining the international coalition, accusing its members of supporting ISIS.

Al-Assad said, in an interview conducted by ‘BBC’ and followed by IraqiNews.com, that “his government received messages from the US-led coalition against ISIS,” explaining that, “There has not been direct cooperation since the coalition’s air strikes began in Syria last September—but other parties, including Iraq, are delivering the information.”

Assad excluded the possibility of Syria joining the coalition that aims to “weaken and destroy ISIS,” explaining, “We will not ally with countries supporting terrorism.”

The Syrian president stressed that he is not opposing cooperation with other countries against ISIS, yet expressed his refusal to converse with the US officials because “he is not their puppet,” in an obvious allusion to the opposition leaders supported by Western and Gulf states.