Die Kooperation zwischen Assad und dem IS geht weiter

Seit Jahren gibt es genügend Belege, dass das Assad Regime, wenn und wo es ihm passt, mit dem IS zusammen arbeitet. Die Gründe sind vielfältig: Der syrische Diktator braucht die Islamisten, um sich als kleineres Übel zu präsentieren. In vielen Fällen waren und sind es gute Geschäftspartner und zudem hat man einen gemeinsamen Feind: Die nichtislamistische syrische Opposition.

Es war also ein offenes Geheimnis, über das immer wieder berichtet wurde, die Kooperation zwischen Regime und Jihadisten. Und sie scheint auch nach dem Verlust des Kalifats weiter zu gehen:

Multiple sources in the city of Suwayda claimed that Islamic State fighters are being smuggled through the Syrian desert from Baghouz to eastern Suwayda by Iranians who have full control over the route in the desert; some accused Iranian militias of aiding them in exchange for money. According to local news agencies such as I Am a Human Story, the numbers of smuggled fighters have reached “more than 1500, most of them formidably armed.” The local outlet Suwayda24 has also confirmed that the militants are nearby and armed.

There is a U.S. military base located between the Safa hills and the town of Baghouz. Considering the Islamic State’s defeat in Baghouz, the military base is a potential target for retaliation. The Tanf garrison is also close to the Rukban camp. The Syrian regime and Russia believe that the Rukban camp is hosting Islamic State fighters, and they are not the only ones that think so. Jaish Maghawir al-Thawra, a Free Syrian Army faction backed by the international coalition, has a presence in the Rukban camp, and it shares the same assessment. However, if a Russian military escalation takes place at Rukban, it could pose a security threat to the U.S. garrison and the displaced civilians who already live in dire conditions in the camp.

It is too early to celebrate victory over the Islamic State. It is regrouping, and the Syrian regime is taking advantage of its re-emergence.