Inside Story

Getting rid of ISIL or Assad?

As the military campaign against the armed group continues in Syria and Iraq, differences among allies emerge.

The US-led alliance fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is intensifying its attacks against the group in Iraq and Syria.

But despite the unrelenting air strikes, ISIL is still capturing new territory in both countries.

While the US says that ISIL should be destroyed, some of its allies – Turkey and Saudi Arabia in particular – argue that this should not be the priority. Ankara and Riyadh argue that getting rid of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should come first.

Those differences are seen as the main reason why Turkey is still reluctant to get involved in the battle for the Syrian town of Kobane, which sits just across the border.

So, how are these differences going to impact the ongoing military campaign? And will Assad benefit from these differences?

Presenter: Mike Hanna

Guests

Elias Hanna  a retired Lebanese army general.

Saleh Mubarak   a member of Syrian National Council.

Khaled Batarfi –  a senior columnist for the Saudi Gazette.