Top U.S. officials are reaching out to American allies in the Mideast to get a better read on the escalating crisis in Syria.

CIA chief David Petraeus on Tuesday held a closed-door meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss the violent crackdown by Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad on anti-government forces, according to Agence France-Presse. 

U.S. embassy spokesman T.J. Grubisha said Petraeus met with Erdoğan and Turkish National Intelligence Organization chief Hakan Fidan and "discussed areas of mutual concern, including regional security issues and counter-terrorism cooperation."

"They foresee even closer and more fruitful cooperation on the region's most pressing issues in the coming months," Grubisha told AFP.

http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/policy-and-strategy/216013-cia...