Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): The Washington Post newspaper claimed in a report that the United States shared classified information about ISIS threats with the new Syrian government, which is run by leaders of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which Washington has long considered a terrorist organization.
The newspaper added: "In at least one case, according to officials, American intelligence helped thwart ISIS's plan to attack a religious shrine outside Damascus earlier this month."
On January 12, the new Syrian government's intelligence service announced that it had succeeded in thwarting an ISIS attempt to bomb the shrine of Sayyida Zainab (SA).
US officials told The Washington Post that the information exchange is based on a shared interest in preventing the resurgence of ISIS and does not amount to a full acceptance of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is still classified as a terrorist organization.
“Given the specific and credible intelligence [about the ISIS threat], coupled with our efforts to build relationships with these individuals, this is the right, prudent and appropriate thing to do,” a former US official told The Washington Post, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The meetings, which were held directly, were not through intermediaries, and began two weeks after Damascus fell to the militants, US officials said.