Trump Signals Syria Will Join U.S.-Led Anti-ISIS Coalition

President Donald Trump indicated that he expects Syria to join the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State during his meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Monday at the White House.

“Yes, you can expect an announcement on Syria,” Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office. “We want to see Syria become a country that’s very successful. And I think this leader can do it. I really do.”

By joining the agreement, Syria would follow 89 countries that have committed to the pact’s goal of “eliminating the threat posed by ISIS.” The group was established in 2014 as part of a response to territorial gains made by the Islamic State after the collapse of Iraqi security forces in Mosul.

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John Hannah, a senior fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, said that by joining the coalition, al-Sharaa’s forces can work “hand in hand under U.S. direction to systematically crush ISIS across the country and take full responsibility for the massive detention camps at places like Al Hol [refugee camp].”

Al-Sharaa’s efforts to join the coalition show a commitment by Damascus to ensure ISIS does not pose a further threat to stability and marks a significant step in the changing relationship between the U.S. and Syria.

“It’s obviously an important step,” said Hannah. “What’s intriguing in this case, however, is that al-Sharaa, the one-time fanboy of former ISIS leader Abu Omar Al Baghdadi and Al-Qaida franchise commander, is joining an anti-jihadist posse led and directed by the United States — the poster-child of the decadent, colonial and infidel West that also happens to be the primary patron of the world’s only Jewish state. That kind of sweeping ideological reversal is just not something you see every day. It certainly merits notice and should be welcomed.”

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Al-Sharaa has cooperated with the U.S. against the terrorist group for nearly a decade, sharing intelligence with officials regarding the whereabouts of key ISIS and Al-Qaida leaders, according to experts.

“[Al-Sharaa] has had a long history of throwing former jihadist allies under the bus whenever they’ve gotten in the way of his own single-minded focus on acquiring and holding onto power to build his vision of a new Sunni-dominated Syria,” said Hannah. “He’s been cooperating with CENTCOM on anti-ISIS missions under the radar for some time, quietly allowing it to do the dirty work of bumping off those who might serve as an alternative magnet for disgruntled Sunnis, former jihadists and foreign fighters who form the backbone of al-Sharaa’s support.”

But despite this, some have expressed concerns stemming from al-Sharaa’s past connection to Al-Qaida’s Syrian affiliate, which he broke from in 2016 and rebranded to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Al-Sharaa formerly had a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head due to these past ties.

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Hannah said this moment may be the “tipping point” in getting the sanctions removed, adding that it is al-Sharaa’s “highest priority.”
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Read the full piece in Jewish Insider.