Syria Attack: Government Security Forces Member Identified as Killer of Three Americans

Image: Jihad Watch

The question that immediately came to mind after we were told that an “ISIS terrorist” had killed two American National Guard members and an American interpreter was a simple one: are we being lied to?

Unfortunately, the answer appears to be yes.

Kurdish sources who identified the attacker as a member of the Al Qaeda–aligned Syrian government’s security forces were telling the truth. In contrast, official statements issued by our own government painted a far more misleading picture, suggesting that an ISIS operative had independently staged an attack on U.S. personnel. At best, these statements were incomplete; at worst, they were deliberately deceptive.

Particularly troubling were claims that the Syrian regime lacked control over Palmyra, subtly implying that this supposed absence of authority enabled the attack. That narrative is now unraveling. It is increasingly being acknowledged that the individual initially labeled an “ISIS terrorist” was, in fact, a serving member of the Al Qaeda–dominated government’s security apparatus.

Faced with this contradiction, officials have attempted to salvage the story by asserting that the attacker was merely a “recent recruit” who harbored ISIS sympathies and was already slated for removal. This explanation strains all credibility. If a security force discovers that one of its members is affiliated with ISIS, that individual is removed immediately—not days later, and certainly not after they have killed American personnel.

There are also unresolved claims from Kurdish sources regarding the attacker’s connections to Abu Mohammad al-Jolani (also known as al-Shara) and other senior figures within the jihadist HTS hierarchy. While those specific links remain to be fully verified, one conclusion is already clear: elements of the Sunni Islamist lobby—desperate to justify continued U.S. involvement in Syria—are not being honest with the American public.

Disturbingly, certain figures within the Trump administration appear to be echoing and reinforcing these falsehoods. The inconsistencies in official accounts are glaring.

A Syrian military official, speaking anonymously, stated that the shooting occurred “during a meeting between Syrian and American officers” at a Syrian base in Palmyra. Meanwhile, a Pentagon official told AFP—also anonymously—that the attack took place in an area supposedly beyond the Syrian president’s control. Adding to the confusion, Syria’s Interior Ministry claimed that a gunman “linked to IS” opened fire at the gate of a military post.

These accounts cannot all be true. The Pentagon misled the public. So did the Al Qaeda–aligned Syrian authorities.

In a further attempt at damage control, Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba claimed that Syrian authorities had already decided to dismiss the attacker for holding “extremist Islamist ideas” and were planning to do so the following day. This assertion borders on the absurd. What exactly qualifies as “extremist Islamist ideas” within a government that is itself an offshoot of Al Qaeda? Its leader, al-Jolani, was originally cultivated by ISIS itself.

Yet despite these realities, U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack declared that the attack only “reinforces” the American strategy of empowering Syrian partners—with limited U.S. support—to hunt down ISIS networks and prevent their resurgence.

That strategy has now resulted in the deaths of three Americans. Enabling Al Qaeda as a so-called partner is not a success; it is a catastrophe. Barrack should be dismissed, and this policy should be abandoned. Enough is enough.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)