Assad informed on US-led war on ISIS by “third parties”

In a rare interview, Syrian leader Bashar Assad told the BBC that his government is being updated by third parties – among them Iraq – with information on the US-led coalition battling the jihadist Islamic State. He said there had been no direct cooperation since air strikes began in Syria in September. He dismissed as “a childish story” the documented reports that he had dropped barrel bombs on rebel-held areas, killing thousands of civilians.