Assad greenlights Iraq to target Islamic State sites in Syria without permission
FILE PHOTO: Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad speaks during an interview with Croatian newspaper Vecernji List in Damascus, Syria, in this handout picture provided by SANA on April 6, 2017. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – An Iraqi governmental source said on Sunday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gave the Iraqi government the green light to bombard Islamic State positions inside the Syrian territories without taking permission from Damascus.
Under Assad’s directives, the Iraqi warplanes will be able to enter the Syrian territories and bombard sites of Islamic State without waiting for the approval of the Syrian government, RT quoted the source as saying.
However, Assad made it clear that the Iraqi government should inform the Syrian side first before launching any attacks against IS sites in Syria.
U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of 2,000 American troops from Syria two weeks ago, bringing a sudden end to a military campaign that largely vanquished the Islamic State.
Assad received on Saturday a message from Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi on means of boosting bilateral relations in various fields.
The message, conveyed by Iraqi National Security Adviser Faleh al-Fayad, focused on the developments of relations between the two countries and the necessity of continuing coordination between them at all levels, particularly in the field of combating terrorism along borders between the two states, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.
He further affirmed the importance of continuing this cooperation and coordination to completely eliminate the remnants of Islamic State terrorist cells, who are still active in some Syrian and Iraqi regions.