Turkiye, Jordan, Iraq, Syria to form new alliance against ISIS

Shafaq News/ Turkiye, Jordan, Iraq, and Syria agreed to establish an alliance against ISIS, involving close coordination between foreign and defense ministries.

According to Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, a Turkish diplomatic source announced that the initiative will focus on border security, intelligence-sharing, and joint operations, adding that the four nations would hold their first meeting in Amman in February at the level of foreign and defense ministers, as well as intelligence chiefs.

According to the report, Turkiye is also seeking to halt US backing for the YPG as part of a broader effort to encircle the PKK working jointly with Iraq, Syria, and Iran, the sources claimed, noting that Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın visited Tehran last week.

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister, Nuh Yilmaz, confirmed Ankara's efforts to form the alliance during an international conference on Syria in Paris last week, pointing out that Turkiye was prepared to assist the Syrian government in managing ISIS detainee prisons.

In 2014, ISIS seized control of extensive areas in Iraq and Syria, with its leader at the time, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, proclaiming an Islamic caliphate that spanned territories inhabited by millions of people. At its peak, ISIS controlled approximately a third of Syria and 40% of Iraq. However, by December 2017, it had lost 95 percent of its territory, including major cities like Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria.

Despite being defeated in Syria in March 2019, ISIS sleeper cells continue to carry out deadly attacks against the Syrian army and members of the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.