President Assad gave Iraq green light to strike ISIS in Syria

The Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad gave the Iraqi government permission to strike the Islamic State (ISIS) within Syria’s borders, Syrian Minister of Parliament Sadji Taama told Russia’s Izvestia newspaper on Thursday.

“Our countries are facing a common threat. Both Iraq and Syria are fighting Daesh extremists. We have been coordinating our anti-terrorist efforts for years. And such statements would not be made if Damascus hadn’t approved Iraqi aviation taking part in operations over Syrian territory. I expect that Syrian planes may also start pursuing the militants in Iraq near the Syrian border,” Sadji Taama told the Izvestia newspaper.

Taama’s comments come just one day after Iraqi Prime Minister Hadi Al-‘Abadi told journalists during a press conference that Syria gave him permission to attack ISIS inside their country.