Syria arrests five suspects in shooting of US and Syrian soldiers in Palmyra

(Patria) - Syria has arrested five people suspected of being linked to the shooting of American and Syrian troops in the central Syrian city of Palmyra on Saturday, the Ministry of Interior announced yesterday.

Two American soldiers and a civilian translator were killed by an attacker who targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces before being killed. The Syrian Ministry of Interior described the attacker as a member of the Syrian security forces suspected of sympathizing with ISIS.

Syria has been cooperating with the US-led coalition against ISIS, reaching an agreement last month when President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House.

The Syrian Ministry of Interior stated that its units in Palmyra conducted an operation in coordination with "international coalition forces" which resulted in the arrest of five suspects "who were immediately sent for interrogation".

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke about the attack by phone with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Sunday.
Al-Shaibani "expressed condolences and reiterated the Syrian government's commitment to degrading and destroying the common threat of ISIS," said State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott.

The Syrian Ministry of Interior stated that it had assessed the attacker just days before the attack and concluded that he might have extremist views. A decision on his future has not yet been made.
The US-led coalition has carried out airstrikes and ground operations in Syria in recent months targeting suspected ISIS members, often with the participation of Syrian security forces. Syria also conducted a national arrest campaign last month of over seventy people accused of ties to the group.

The United States has troops stationed in northeastern Syria as part of a decade-long effort to combat ISIS, which held parts of Syria and Iraq from 2014 to 2019.

The Syrian government is now led by former opposition forces who overthrew Bashar al-Assad last year after a thirteen-year war, including members of the former Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda who broke away from the group and clashed with ISIS.