Fighting Daesh in Syria should be in cooperation with Damascus: Minister

The Syrian information minister says the countries aiming to combat the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group in Syria should cooperate with the Syrian government.

“Any side that wants to fight the ISIS should cooperate with the Syrian state and army,” Omran al-Zoubi said in an interview with the Syrian Ikhbariya TV on Tuesday, using another acronym for Daesh.

The Syrian minister referred to Russia’s fight against terrorism in the Arab country, saying that the reason for the Russian military campaign is that terrorism is a cross-border threat and it poses dangers to the regional and international security.

Zoubi stressed that Syria is fighting a war of global nature against terrorism, stressing that Russia and Iran share the same stance with Syria concerning the fight against terrorism.

He also denied the presence of any forces from other countries like Cuba and North Korea on Syrian soil, saying, “Russia’s presence is more than sufficient.”

Russia began its military campaign against terrorists in Syria on September 30 upon a request from the Damascus government, shortly after the upper house of the Russian parliament gave President Vladimir Putin the mandate to use military force in Syria.

Zoubi contrasted the US and the Russian military activities in Syria, saying Washington’s role is very different as it alleges there is a “moderate opposition,” which it has been training.

He further said that the motive for labeling terrorist groups as “moderate” is to camouflage the groups that no one truly knows where their loyalty lies and to what terrorist group they are affiliated.

The US and some of its allies have been carrying out air raids against what they say are Daesh positions in Iraq since August 2014. Since last September, some members of the US-led coalition have also been pounding purported Daesh positions inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate.

Zoubi also described Saudi Arabia as a staunch supporter of terrorists in Syria, saying that Riyadh is pursuing its goals against the Syrian government in coordination with the Turkish and Qatari regimes.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The crisis has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people so far and displaced millions.

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