Overlapping Enemies in the Fight Against IS

(Baonghean) - In recent times, the Syrian government, along with the US and Turkey, have all stood on the same front against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS). However, the Syrian government yesterday (November 4) announced that although the US and Türkiye are participating in the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State, both countries are still its enemies. This can be seen as Syria's latest policy in its relationship with the US and Turkey. With this statement, will the fight against IS face more challenges?

"The United States is still the enemy of the Syrian people and Syria is still dealing with the United States as an enemy" is the strong statement of Syrian Reconciliation Minister Ali Haidar. This proves that the relationship between Syria and the United States is still very tense. World public opinion still remembers that last September, the United States was ready for a war to overthrow the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. At that time, US warships in the Gulf and Mediterranean were ready to coordinate with air forces at US bases in surrounding allied countries to massively attack Damascus. The brutal confrontation was very close, but in the end, thanks to diplomatic efforts, especially the clever proposal of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the US attack on a sovereign country did not happen. However, the United States has always considered the pro-Russian government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a thorn in the eye that needs to be removed, and Washington has repeatedly publicly supported the Syrian opposition.

Syrian Reconciliation Minister Ali Haidar. Photo: AP

In its relationship with its northern neighbor Türkiye, a NATO member and US ally, the Syrian government also has a not-so-good relationship. Syrian Reconciliation Minister Ali Haidar said that since Syria fell into crisis, the country has been in a state of war with Türkiye. Like the US, Turkey has supported the rebels in Syria to overthrow the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Tensions between Syria and Turkey have escalated alarmingly after Syria announced that it had shot down a fighter jet from its neighbor in June last year. Since then, the border area between Syria and Turkey has been frequently heated with mutual demonstrations of weapons deployment as well as artillery shelling between the two sides.

In the current context, when the rise of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) on a large territory in Iraq and Syria not only directly threatens the survival of the two states of Iraq and Syria but also attacks the interests of the United States, even becoming a new terrorist threat that is considered more dangerous than Al Qaeda. Naturally, both the United States and the Syrian government consider IS an enemy that needs to be eliminated. However, there is no handshake between the United States and Syria in this war. When deciding to attack IS on Syrian territory, the United States declared that it would not coordinate with the Syrian government, did not notify Syria in advance at the military level, nor did it give a time to attack specific targets. Even US Secretary of State John Kerry did not send any letter to the Syrian government about the US's actions. This shows that the United States does not acknowledge the role of the Bashar al-Assad government in the fight against IS.

Therefore, Syria now has to both brace itself against IS, which is "gnawing" at parts of its territory, and guard against US moves when this country attacks IS on Syrian territory. Not only that, the Bashar al-Assad government also has to guard against moves by its northern neighbor, Türkiye. However, although the US is trying its best to support the Syrian opposition group to fight IS, the army of President Bashar al-Assad's government is the force with the best military potential to fight IS. It is the current complicated relationship in the region between Syria and two countries that play an important role in the anti-IS coalition, the US and Türkiye, that has been making this war more complicated. Obviously, considering the current situation in the region, not only is President Bashar al-Assad's government in a difficult situation, but the fight against IS by the US and the international coalition has not been able to create any important turning point because of this overlapping hostility.

Nguyen Cao Bien