Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba announced that the perpetrator of the attack targeting Syrian security forces and killing two US troops near Palmyra did not hold any leadership position within the Internal Security Forces, nor was he affiliated with the command. He confirmed that investigations are ongoing to determine whether he had direct organizational ties to ISIS or if he held extremist views.
In a statement to the Syrian state-run Al-Ekhbariah TV channel, al-Baba explained that the Internal Security Forces had issued prior warnings to partner forces in the international coalition regarding preliminary intelligence about the possibility of ISIS attacks. He noted that the attack occurred at the entrance to a fortified Internal Security Forces headquarters following a joint field patrol.
Al-Baba added that the international coalition announced the deaths of two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter, in addition to two injuries among the Syrian Internal Security Forces, who neutralized the attacker. He denied reports that the perpetrator was affiliated with the Internal Security Forces.
The spokesman explained that more than 5,000 personnel belong to the Internal Security Command in the Syrian Desert and undergo weekly evaluations. He noted that an evaluation issued on the 10th of this month regarding the perpetrator indicated the possibility of his adopting extremist or takfiri ideologies. Action was scheduled to be taken against him on the first day of work, but the attack occurred on Saturday, which is an administrative holiday.
He indicated that the investigations include examining the perpetrator's digital data and verifying his network of acquaintances, while emphasizing the adoption of new security procedures and protocols in coordination between the International Coalition Command and the Internal Security Command in the Syrian Desert.
Syrian security forces and US forces came under fire during a joint field patrol near Palmyra, resulting in deaths and injuries, according to the US Department of Defense.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the deaths on X after Syria’s state media earlier reported that an attack in the city of Palmyra had wounded American and Syrian troops.
“An ambush by a lone ISIS gunman” resulted in the deaths and injuries to three additional troops, said CENTCOM, which oversees the US military in the Middle East.
“The gunman was engaged and killed,” it said.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the attack occurred as the soldiers “were conducting a key leader engagement” in support of counter-terrorism operations, while US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said the ambush targeted “a joint US–Syrian government patrol.”
“The savage who perpetrated this attack was killed by partner forces,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X.
Parnell said the identities of the deceased troops would be withheld until after their families were notified.
The incident is the first of its kind reported since opposition forces overthrew longtime longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December last year, and rekindled the country’s ties with the United States.
A Pentagon official told Al Arabiya English the attack “took place in an area where the Syrian President does not have control.”
Syrian state news agency SANA, quoting a security source, earlier reported that several US troops and two Syrian service members had been wounded in the attack.
The soldiers were taking part in a “joint field tour” in Palmyra, which was once under the control of ISIS, SANA reported.
A Syrian military official who requested anonymity said that the shots were fired “during a meeting between Syrian and American officers” at a Syrian base in Palmyra.
A witness, who asked to remain anonymous, said he heard the shots coming from inside the base.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, which has a wide network of sources inside Syria, the meeting came as part of an “American strategy to strengthen its presence and foothold in the Syrian desert”.
Helicopters evacuated the wounded to the Al-Tanf base in southern Syria, where American troops are deployed, SANA said.
Syria’s interior ministry said that it had warned the US-led coalition of a possible breach by ISIS fighters.
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