bimba-news.in.ua

The U.S. has shared intelligence regarding Islamist threats with Syria, according to WP.

США передали Сирии разведывательные данные о угрозах со стороны исламистов.

According to sources, contacts began two weeks after the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime on December 8 of last year. At that time, anti-government groups led by "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham" seized Damascus, and Assad fled to Russia.

Information was transmitted directly without intermediaries, as reported in a publication by The Washington Post. One of the exchanges allegedly helped prevent an attack by "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham" on a Shia shrine in a suburb of Damascus in January.

The exchange of intelligence is linked to a mutual interest in countering the "Islamic State" and does not imply recognition of "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham." According to former U.S. officials, this aligns with U.S. policy to warn of impending threats, including to foreign states, as long as it does not jeopardize intelligence sources.

The CIA declined to comment, but one former official described the data transfer as appropriate, emphasizing that similar information exchanges occur with both Russia and Iran in cases of specific threats.

More news from Radio Free Europe: