Reuters reports Turkey asked UK to help protect President al-Sharaa
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Turkey’s intelligence agency asked its British counterpart MI6 last month to take a larger role in protecting Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa following recent assassination plots, Reuters news agency reported on Friday, citing five informed sources.
The Islamic State (ISIS) targeted al-Sharaa and two senior cabinet ministers in five foiled assassination attempts, all of which were thwarted, according to the report.
The sources, including Syrian and foreign officials who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, cited rising anxiety over a series of reported ISIS plots to kill the Syrian president .
A Turkish source said that the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), which has played a key role in helping the new government establish itself, appealed to MI6 for more support after one such incident last month. A senior Syrian security source confirmed the request came after a “high-risk assassination plot,” adding that MIT, MI6, and Syrian authorities are constantly sharing intelligence .
A separate Western intelligence source briefed on the matter believed Turkey wants to introduce a Western presence in Damascus to provide something of a buffer between the agencies of Turkey and Israel, which are currently at loggerheads .
Last year, al-Sharaa and two senior cabinet ministers were targeted by ISIS in five foiled assassination attempts, according to the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism . In November, Reuters reported that Syrian authorities had foiled two of the attempts.
Describing al-Sharaa as a “watchdog” of the global anti-ISIS coalition, the group mounted six attacks on Syrian authorities last month in what it called a “new phase” .
On Thursday, Damascus openly acknowledged for the first time that it coordinates with MIT, saying they had cooperated to foil an ISIS attack in the capital. Turkish security sources said MIT had identified a team of three preparing remote bomb attacks, enabling Syrian counterparts to prevent an “imminent assault” .
A US diplomat briefed on the matter said MIT’s request to MI6 had been prompted by the ISIS resurgence .
It remains unclear what specifically MIT asked of MI6, or what new role, if any, MI6 has taken up. A Syrian security source said a physical British presence would be “highly risky” .