US shares classified intelligence with new Syrian government - WP
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (photo: Getty Images)
The United States shared classified intelligence with the new Syrian government. It concerned the threat posed by the Islamic State terrorist organization, The Washington Post informs.
US officials, who were not named, told the source that intelligence data in at least one case helped thwart an attack by Islamic State militants on a religious site near Damascus in early January.
"It’s the right, prudent, and appropriate thing to do, given that there was credible, specific information [about Islamic State threats], and coupled with our efforts to cultivate a relationship with these guys," said one former US official.
The exchange of intelligence, according to the newspaper, took place through direct contact with the new Syrian authorities, not through third parties. This exchange, according to the anonymous former official, began about two weeks after the rebels came to power.
According to the media outlet, after the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, the administration of then-US President Joe Biden began to cautiously interact with the rebels and their leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. It is not yet known what policy toward Syria will be pursued by the new US President Donald Trump, but he has previously signaled his unwillingness to interfere in its affairs.
The US Central Intelligence Agency declined to comment on the information about data exchanges with Syria, the WP noted. But, as one former official explained, this practice of intelligence sharing is commonplace in the U.S..
"We share intelligence with the Russians. We share intelligence with the Iranians when we have particular threats and, in some cases, a duty to warn... Even when our interests aren’t perfectly aligned, we have a responsibility, in some cases, to share intelligence," he said.
The fall of the Assad regime in Syria
Last fall, an uprising broke out in Syria, which was the result of a long-running civil war. The uprising, led by, among others, the Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham group with Ahmed al-Sharaa, resulted in the flight of dictator Bashar al-Assad from Syria and the transfer of power to the Syrian people.
Shortly thereafter, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha visited Damascus. He also met with the de facto new leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Read more about the trip and its results in RBC-Ukraine's report.
