Damascus denies al-Sharaa past coordination with the Global Coalition

Shafaq News – Damascus

Syria on Friday rejected media reports alleging that transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa had cooperated with the US-led Global Coalition against ISIS and al-Qaeda since 2016.

The Syrian News Channel, citing the presidency’s media department, said al-Sharaa “did not coordinate or cooperate with any foreign party in this context,” adding that none of his directives were connected to such activities. It added that “all decisions and measures taken at the time were made independently, without coordination or requests from any external party.”

The statement followed a report by The New York Times claiming that al-Sharaa had worked with the Global Coalition in areas under his control in north-western Syria.

Earlier this week, the US Embassy in Damascus said Syria had formally joined the Global Coalition as its 90th member, calling the step a “pivotal moment” for the country and for the international campaign against terrorism.