A deadly attack on American troops in Syria has exposed a major security gap in the new US alliance with the former militants in power in Damascus, and will spur US pressure to flush out extremists among them, regional security sources told The National on Sunday.
US President Donald Trump has pledged retaliation after a member of the Syrian security forces, whom he described as belonging to ISIS, killed two American soldiers and an interpreter in the desert area of Palmyra on Sunday during a meeting between US and Syrian officials.
The Syrian Interior Ministry said he was one of 5,000 new security recruits in the area and that his alleged links to ISIS were being assessed. Late on Sunday it announced that five people had been arrested in a raid in Palmyra.
One of the sources, who is based in Jordan and specialises in Syria, expected the US to demand a review of the members of the new security apparatus that replaced the former Assad regime, and more rigorous vetting of candidates. They said the US could also apply pressure on Syria to curb the influence of hardliners who were rewarded for their role in the removal of Bashar Al Assad with security positions.
“There could be thousands like the attacker in Palmyra in the system,” the source in Jordan said.
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