The Washington Post: The US shared classified information with the new leaders of Syria

According to RCO News Agency, according to these officials, the American warnings through the communication channel with “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” helped prevent ISIS’ plan to target a shrine near Damascus on January 11.

At the same time, the intelligence sharing does not mean the United States no longer considers Tahrir al-Sham a “terrorist” organization, the officials said in the report, released Friday.

It is stated in this report that the contact between the American officials and the representatives of the Syrian interim authorities began shortly after the overthrow of the government of “Bashar Assad” in December 2024 and went to It was done directly, that is, without the mediation of third parties.

Syrian armed opposition captured Damascus on December 8, and Assad stepped down from the Syrian presidency and left his country for Russia, where he sought asylum. After that, “Mohammed al-Bashir”, who managed the government based in Idlib and was formed by Tahrir al-Sham and other opposition groups, was appointed as the interim prime minister. He later announced that the interim government had been formed and would remain in office until March 2025.

According to The Washington Post, the call to Tahrir al-Sham reflects growing U.S. alarm that ISIS could resurgence as Syria’s new leaders seek to consolidate control.

Officials said the intelligence sharing was done out of a “mutual interest” in preventing such a return and did not reflect full acceptance of Tahrir al-Sham, which remains a “terrorist” organization designated by the United States.

A former American official who, like others, asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, said: “Given that there was reliable and specific information (about ISIS threats), as well as our efforts to establish a relationship with these people (the new officials) Syria), this is the right, prudent and appropriate thing to do.”

In the chaotic days after Assad’s fall, the Biden administration cautiously engaged with Tahrir al-Sham and its leader, the group’s leader, Ahmad al-Shora, formerly known as Abu Muhammad al-Jolani. Jolani has tried to show moderation, reaching out to world leaders and pledging not to persecute Syria’s numerous religious minorities.

It is not clear what policy US President Donald Trump will take towards the interim government of Syria, but he has shown his desire to stay away from the affairs of this “Middle Eastern” country. “This is not our fight,” he wrote on social media last month as Tahrir al-Sham forces marched toward Damascus.

The previously unreported exchange of information with Tahrir al-Sham occurred directly between U.S. intelligence officials and representatives of the group, not through third parties, and officials said it included exchanges between two parties in Syria and a third country. . The former official said the contacts began almost two weeks after Tahrir al-Sham came to power on December 8.

The Syrian State News Service reported that on January 11, the Syrian Interim Government thwarted an ISIS plot to bomb the holy shrine of Sayyida Zainab in the suburbs of Damascus. Current and former officials said the attack was foiled following warnings from US intelligence agencies, The Washington Post reported. The CIA declined to comment.

This former American official continued to claim: “We share information with the Russians; Also, when we have specific threats and in some cases we have the duty to warn, we share information with the Iranians. Therefore, this was the result of trying to develop and nurture the relationship with Tahrir al-Sham. But it was not extraordinary. Even when our interests are not perfectly aligned, in some cases we have a responsibility to share information.”

It is unclear whether there have been intelligence or diplomatic contacts with Syria’s interim government since Trump took office on Monday.

On the diplomatic front, U.S. officials have urged Syria’s interim leaders to be vigilant about the resurgence of ISIS, according to a former senior U.S. official. The official, who asked not to be named, told The Washington Post that Tahrir al-Sham’s editorial board had given a “positive” response.

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