Syria's Assad says ‘third parties’ inform govt. of IS coalition strikesFebruary 10, 2015 - 10:55 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Syria's President Bashar al-Assad says his government is receiving messages from the U.S.-led coalition battling the jihadist group, Islamic State. Assad told the BBC that there had been no direct cooperation since air strikes began in Syria in September. But third parties - among them Iraq - were conveying "information". He also denied that Syrian government forces had been dropping barrel bombs indiscriminately on rebel-held areas, killing thousands of civilians. Assad dismissed the allegation as a "childish story", in a wide-ranging interview with the BBC. "We have bombs, missiles and bullets... There is [are] no barrel bombs, we don't have barrels." Many U.S.-led coalition states have denied co-operating with Assad, whom they have urged to step down since an uprising against his rule erupted in 2011. But the Islamic State's (IS) seizure of large parts of Syria and Iraq in the past year and its creation of a "caliphate" has prompted officials to consider working with the Syrian leader to combat the group. Despite this, Assad ruled out joining the international coalition that is seeking to "degrade and destroy" IS. "No, definitely we cannot and we don't have the will and we don't want, for one simple reason - because we cannot be in an alliance with countries which support terrorism," he said. Assad stressed that he was not against co-operating over IS with other countries. But he would refuse to talk with American officials, he said, "because they don't talk to anyone, unless he's a puppet", an apparent reference to Western- and Gulf Arab-backed opposition leaders, the BBC notes. "And they easily trample over international law, which is about our sovereignty now, so they don't talk to us, we don't talk to them." The president did concede, however, that his government had been receiving information indirectly via third parties about sorties by U.S. and Arab warplanes over Syria. "Sometimes, they convey a message, a general message, but there's nothing tactical," he said, adding: "There is no dialogue. There's, let's say, information, but not dialogue." Assad dismissed efforts by the U.S. to train and equip a "moderate" rebel force to fight IS militants on the ground in Syria, saying it was a "pipe-dream". He argued that there were no moderates, only extremists from IS and al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, al-Nusra Front. Related issues: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |