Syria Appears to Detain ISIS Official — US 'Coalition' Claims Credit
The New Arab breathlessly reports that Syrian authorities have detained a senior Islamic State official in Damascus, with a 'US-led international coalition' patting itself on the back for 'cooperation.' Odd, isn't it, how this 'coalition' suddenly remembers Damascus and its intelligence capabilities when there's an ISIS scalp to claim? This is the same 'coalition' that has, at various points,
destabilized the region, supplied weapons to groups with dubious agendas, and stood by as various actors, including some US-backed forces, allowed ISIS to regroup. Remember when the US military reportedly negotiated safe passage for ISIS fighters out of Raqqa in 2017? And now they're 'cooperating'? The conveniently timed 'detention' and the 'international coalition's' sudden visibility raises
questions. Is this realpolitik theatre, where former adversaries briefly align to claim a shared enemy, while their larger agendas remain intact? Or perhaps a subtle deflection from the continued occupation of Syrian territory by some members of this 'coalition,' maintaining the very instability that breeds extremism?