Syrian government's militant past could hinder alliance with US against ISIS

Washington confirms Al Shara government has agreed to join Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS

At the White House, from left, Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani, Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara, US Vice President JD Vance and US special envoy Tom Barrack. AFP

The US on Tuesday confirmed Syria had joined the international coalition against ISIS, clearing any doubts after Damascus played down the move and indicating the sensitivity of the issue for a government with a militant past seeking to become Washington ally.

An unnamed official says in a video posted on X by the US embassy in Syria – and reposted by US special envoy Thomas Barrack: "Syria has officially become the 90th member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. Joining the coalition will enable training and other military co-operation that protect all Syrians from terrorism."

The video was posted late on Tuesday, as Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara was wrapping up a trip to Washington that featured a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.

The visit was the first to Washington by a modern Syrian head of state and a milestone in Mr Al Shara's transformation from hardline militant to a national leader pivotal to the restoration of US influence in the Middle East.

Earlier on Tuesday, Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mustafa said the two countries were simply engaging in a “possible partnership” against ISIS. On Monday, he had said the partnership was “political and until now contains no military components".

A security source based in Jordan said the Damascus government does not want to "antagonise" extremists in the country, regardless of whether they were loyal to Mr Al Shara's government or designated terrorists by the US. The new order is dominated by members of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), which has its origins in an Al Qaeda splinter group founded by Mr Al Shara. Its former allies, some of whom were anti-US, are either estranged, retired or have been absorbed into the new military.

However, anti-terrorism co-operation, centred on intelligence sharing, has been ongoing for months, with Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and General Intelligence chief Hussein Al Salama spearheading contacts with the US mlitary's Central Command.

Both were commanders in HTS, which led the 12-day offensive that ousted the regime of former president Bashar Al Assad last December.

The source in Jordan expected any US training for the new Syrian military to be "some way off", given the time it typically takes to formulate, and that ties between the countries are still in their early stages.

American forces have bases in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in eastern Syria but none in government-held areas.

However, a US-trained force called the New Syrian Army, based in the American zone of Al Tanf, should be integrated into the military soon under a deal reached earlier this year, the security source said.

HTS was an enemy of ISIS and had communication channels with US allies in Middle East before it seized power in Syria. However, the establishment of ties with the American military could spur more ISIS attacks to destabilise the new order, the source said. This was because many ISIS fighters have moved from the remote Al Badia desert to the suburbs of Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and other urban areas since the fall of the Assad regime, they added.

In June, Saraya Ansar Al Sunnah, a new militant group that has expressed affinity with ISIS, claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing at a Damascus church that killed 23 people. Experts say Saraya Ansar Al Sunnah is made up in part of former HTS members who had grown disaffected with the moderate rule of the country once Mr Al Shara had formed the Syrian government.

US overtures towards Damascus, aimed at making post-Assad Syria a partner in counter-terrorism, have enhanced Mr Al Shara's position regarding the mainly Kurdish SDF, the most powerful armed force to resist being incorporated into the new government forces. The US established the SDF in 2015 and trained the group as ground forces in the war against ISIS in Syria.

Mr Al Shara has rejected demands from the Kurds and other Syrian minorities for a decentralised state. Under US pressure, the SDF has been engaging with his government to surrender its territory in eastern Syria but no actual handovers have been agreed on.

However, the trip to Washington has put Mr Al Shara on firmer strategic ground. "Having any military force that is not under control of the government represents the best environment for ISIS to flourish," the Syrian President told The Washington Post in an interview published on Tuesday.