The Syrian Interior Ministry announced on Sunday that it had arrested five suspects believed to be connected to the shooting attack in the central town of Palmyra on Saturday.
The incident targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces, resulting in the deaths of two U.S. Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter.
The attacker, who was subsequently shot dead, was identified by the Syrian Interior Ministry as a member of the Syrian security forces suspected of holding sympathies with the Islamic State (ISIS).
The Ministry acknowledged it had assessed the assailant just days before the attack, concluding he might hold extremist views, but a decision on his status had been pending.
The arrests were carried out by Syrian units in Palmyra, in coordination with “international coalition forces,” with the five individuals immediately referred for questioning.
This attack comes shortly after Syria entered a phase of closer cooperation with the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, following a political cooperation agreement and a visit by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to the White House last month. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani on Sunday, who offered condolences and reaffirmed the Syrian government’s commitment to eliminating the shared threat of ISIS.
The U.S. maintains troops in northeastern Syria as part of the decade-long counter-ISIS effort, often involving joint operations with Syrian security forces.
