Only a united Syria can defeat ISIS

An attack that killed three US personnel, including two soldiers and an interpreter, in Syria on Saturday is another disturbing reminder of the threat that ISIS continues to pose to regional security. It also undermines co-operation between the US and Syria in their counter-terrorism mission, only a month after Damascus joined the global coalition to defeat the extremist group.

According to the Pentagon, a lone gunman “associated with ISIS” opened fire on US personnel stationed in the Syrian town of Palmyra, situated in the central desert region once held by the group, before he was eventually killed. Syria’s state news said two Syrian service personnel were also injured.

The American response to the ambush was immediate. President Donald Trump called for a “very serious retaliation” following which the US military sent F-16 and A-10 aircraft over Palmyra, with one video showing the latter dropping flares.

But beyond this show of force – and the escalation that could follow, perhaps involving other member states of the global coalition – the broader efforts aimed at ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS will be long and painstaking.

Donald Trump vows retaliation after ISIS kills US soldiers and interpreter in Syria 01:01

More than a decade after it established its now-defunct, so-called Islamic State across Syria and Iraq, the group still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in these countries, according to the UN. That the gunman may have been a former member of the Syrian security forces not only raises concerns about Damascus’s vetting process to recruit soldiers, but also highlights the presence of sleeper cells associated with the group across the region. There will be extremists adamant on destroying the potential Syria has to prosper, as it shakes off decades of authoritarian rule.

But while counter-terrorism is a critical component in any strategy to defeat e