The US led international coalition against the Islamic State ISIS militant group has failed, and lacks impact on the ground, Syrian President Bashar Assad said. According to the president, the United States refuses to acknowledge the fact that Syria's government-led army is the only force in the country capable of battling the extremist group on the ground. Assad also added that the coalition could eradicate Islamic State militants if it wanted to do so. The ISIS, which has been seizing large swathes of Iraq and Syria since 2014, has been making significant inroads in the Middle East despite the efforts of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition. The coalition has been launching airstrikes against ISIS positions in Syria without approval of Damascus, as well as training moderate Syrian opposition, as it does not believe Assad to be legitimate government. US-Led 2003 Iraq Invasion Gave Rise to Syrian Crisis The roots of the current crisis Syria is experiencing lie in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, according to Syrian President. "You might be surprised if I tell that the crucial juncture in what happened in Syria is something that many people wouldn't even think of. It was the Iraq war in 2003, when the United States invaded Iraq," Assad said in an interview with Russian media. Syria strongly opposed that invasion, Assad said. Syria has been in the state of a civil war since the 2011 political crisis. Government forces have been fighting on multiple fronts against opposition forces and numerous extremist militant groups, including the Islamic State and the Nusra Front. The United States and its coalition partners invaded Iraq in 2003. The military operation conducted by the coalition aimed to eliminate weapons of mass destruction believed by Washington to have been possessed by then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. No weapons were found. In March 2003, a US-led coalition invaded Iraq, justifying the incursion by claims that Iraqi then-leader Saddam Hussein supported terrorism and possessed weapons of mass destruction. No substantial evidence was found to justify the US' claims. Syria is Ready to Cooperate With Any Country to Counter Terrorism Syria is ready to cooperate with any country, including the United States and Turkey, in the fight against the Islamic State militants if these states are willing to counter terrorism, President Bashar Assad said. According to Assad, if these countries changed their policies, Syria would have no objection to cooperation, "provided that it has the will to fight terrorism." The Syrian president also noted that the US-led coalition against the Islamic State and the Syrian Army do not coordinate their attacks against the militants' positions in any way. The US is Displaying "Willful Blindness" The US administration is displaying "willful blindness" when it refuses to cooperate with the Syrian armed forces in the battle against the Islamic State militant group, Syrian President Bashar Assad said. ISIS, which has been seizing large swathes of Iraq and Syria since 2014, has been making significant inroads in the Middle East despite the efforts of a US-led anti-ISIS coalition. The US-led international coalition has been launching airstrikes against the group's positions since 2014 without seeking approval from Damascus. The coalition has also been training and arming the so-called moderate Syrian opposition.
