Turkey asks MI6 to increase protection of Syrian president

Ankara turns to MI6 over threat to Syrian leader

Turkey appeals to British intelligence MI6 with a request to increase the protection of the president Ahmed al-Sharaa, reports Reuters.

Al-Sharaa is a key figure in the new Syrian government formed after the ouster of the long-time president Bashar al-Assad, and its support is important for the stabilisation of the country.

The threat of the Islamic State and assassination attempts

According to sources, activity in Syria has increased «Islamic State», which considers al-Shara'a its main enemy and allegedly prepared several assassination attempts on him and members of his government.

Representatives of the Turkish intelligence services contacted MI6 after one of these incidents, although it is not yet clear what role British intelligence can play.

Discussion of the involvement of British intelligence officers

According to sources, on 26 February, talks in Damascus discussed MI6's possible involvement in protecting al-Sharaa, but no decisions have been made on the deployment of British personnel in the Syrian capital due to high risks.

Ankara, London, and Washington are closely exchanging intelligence information, but the participation of British intelligence services in the mission is still a matter of debate.