Intel chief denies ISIS, al Qaeda alliance

The nation’s top intelligence official doesn’t believe al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have forged an alliance, despite reports the two terror networks are joining forces.

“We don’t see that,” Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told CBS News on Friday.

{mosads}“There have been tactical accommodations, on the battlefield, on occasion, where local groups have united in the interest of the tactical objective, but broadly, I don’t see those two uniting, at least yet.”

The Associated Press reported Thursday that militant leaders from the two terror groups had gathered in northern Syria last week and stuck an agreement to stop fighting each other in the war-torn country. 

Such a merger could further complicate the Obama administration’s plans to use the moderate rebel groups to fight al Qaeda, ISIS, and the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

But Clapper said he did not see the alliance growing beyond small ad hoc truces in areas of fighting.

Separately, Clapper said he was “quite apprehensive” when he traveled to North Korea last weekend to broker the return of two American prisoners being held by the state.

Clapper, carrying a letter from President Obama, met with several Korean security officials during his roughly day-long trip to the country.

“I was quite apprehensive because we weren’t sure about how this was going to play out. I personally was not completely confident that we would actually – that they would actually release our two citizens,” he said.

Pyongyang eventually agreed to free Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller, the two American captives. Clapper said he was not sure if the release would change the relationship between the two countries.

“I think that remains to be seen, as to where do we go from here,” Clapper said. “Will this perhaps serve as a catalyst or stimulus for more dialogue? I hope so, but I don’t know.”