Five individuals have been arrested in connection with the shooting attack on a U.S. and Syrian military convoy in Palmyra that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Syria’s Interior Ministry announced Sunday that five individuals have been arrested in connection with the deadly shooting of U.S. and Syrian troops in the central Syrian town of Palmyra on Saturday. The attack, which left two U.S. Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter dead, occurred when an assailant targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces before being shot dead.
The ministry described the attacker as a member of the Syrian security forces with suspected sympathies for the Islamic State (ISIS). The attack came just over a month after Syria signed a political cooperation agreement with the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, coinciding with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House.
“Our units carried out a precise and decisive security operation in the city of Palmyra, following a cowardly terrorist attack carried out yesterday by an individual affiliated with the Islamic State,” the Interior Ministry stated in its release. The operation was executed in full coordination with Syria’s General Intelligence Service and international coalition forces, leading to the arrests of the five suspects, who were promptly referred for questioning.
Three U.S. soldiers were injured in the attack, according to the U.S. military’s Central Command, while Syrian state news agency SANA reported that two Syrian service personnel were also wounded.
The Interior Ministry revealed that the assailant had been under assessment by Syrian authorities just days before the attack, with suspicions raised about his potential extremist views. A decision regarding his future had been pending when the attack occurred.
The U.S.-led coalition has recently intensified its efforts in Syria, conducting airstrikes and ground operations targeting ISIS suspects, often in cooperation with Syrian security forces. Last month, Syria’s government also carried out a nationwide operation that led to the arrest of more than 70 individuals linked to ISIS.
The United States has maintained a military presence in northeastern Syria for nearly a decade, as part of its ongoing efforts to combat ISIS, which had controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq from 2014 to 2019.
The Syrian government, now led by former rebels who toppled long-time leader Bashar al-Assad after a brutal 13-year civil war, includes members who were once part of al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch. These individuals have since split from the group and have clashed with ISIS over territorial control.
Original article
Comments