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By Open Chronicle Staff with Agencies
DAMASCUS / WASHINGTON β Syrian authorities announced Sunday that they have arrested five individuals suspected of having links to the deadly ambush near Palmyra on Saturday, which resulted in the deaths of two U.S. Army soldiers and an American civilian interpreter. The attack has exposed a grave security lapse, as the assailant was identified by the Syrian Interior Ministry as a member of their own security forces suspected of sympathizing with the Islamic State (ISIS) group.
The lone gunman targeted a convoy engaged in a “key leader engagement” between U.S. and Syrian forces in the central Syrian town of Palmyra before being shot dead by partner forces. Three other U.S. service members were injured, along with two Syrian security personnel.
The revelation that the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces, an act described by some U.S. officials as an “insider terrorist attack”, has cast a shadow over the newly formalized counter-terrorism cooperation between Washington and Damascus.
Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba confirmed the attacker was part of the country’s security apparatus but had been under investigation for “extremist ideas.” Al-Baba noted that an assessment issued just days prior had flagged the individual, and a decision regarding his dismissal had been pending.
The spokesman stressed that the individual had no leadership role and was not part of the official escort for the meeting with the U.S. delegation, but the incident points to significant infiltration concerns within the security forces operating in the volatile desert region, known as the Badia.
Following the ambush, the Syrian Interior Ministry launched a “precise and decisive” security operation in coordination with the General Intelligence Directorate and the international coalition forces. This sweep in the Homs countryside resulted in the arrest of five suspects who have been immediately referred for questioning.
The attack comes barely a month after Syria, now led by a new administration, formally joined the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, symbolizing improved relations between the two nations following the overthrow of the former regime.
U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed “big damage” in retaliation for the deaths of the three Americans. In a phone call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Sunday, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the shared fight against ISIS. Shaibani offered condolences and described the ambush as a “cowardly terrorist attack” aimed at undermining the emerging bilateral relationship.
The tragic incident underscores the continuing lethal threat posed by ISIS sleeper cells in the Syrian desert, even as coalition forces continue their campaign against the group.