Syrians had scarcely celebrated the first anniversary of their country’s liberation from the Assad regime and American lawmakers’ decision to repeal sanctions when the vile spectre of terrorism reared its head again, when a gunman opened fire on a meeting between Syrian and American security personnel in Palmyra. The attack left three Americans dead (two members of the US military and one civilian interpreter) and wounded three other military personnel, along with several Syrian security officers.
Damascus officially joined the international coalition against Islamic State (IS) during President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s visit to Washington last month. The government condemned the assault, despite some confusion in the initial media coverage. Al-Sharaa cabled condolences and condemnation to the American president, Donald Trump, who pledged to retaliate. Trump said al-Sharaa was “very angry,” signalling that Washington did not hold the Syrian state responsible.
IS still a threat
Since Assad fled, the threat posed by IS has remained ever-present. Whether the assailant acted alone or in coordination with others, the attack is a stark reminder of a danger that cannot be easily neutralised. Some who are aligned with the Damascus authorities have downplayed the threat of IS, fostering the illusion that the group had disappeared. In reality, it remains a potent menace both inside Syria and beyond.
IS is not just an organisation but an extremist ideology, fuelled by incitement and an unrelenting stream of radical rhetoric, further inflamed by the massacres in Gaza and earlier atrocities in Syria. Yet the fight against extremism cannot be won through intelligence operations alone. The Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Culture also have leading roles to play in confronting and dismantling the platforms that propagate this extremist ideology.
Today, Syria stands at a perilous crossroads. The fledgling state, striving to cement its global alliances and build a nation rooted in citizenship, must put the fight against extremism at the top of its priority list, if it has not already done so. As part of this, Syrian authorities also need to prioritise the professional restructuring of its security apparatus, because the two are linked, given that the gunman was an infiltrator.
