Insider Attack: Syrian Officer Kills US Personnel, ISIS Link Suspected

• An attack in the Syrian desert killed two US soldiers and one US citizen, and injured three US personnel and three Syrian guards.
• The assailant was a Syrian government security personnel, recruited two months prior, and recently suspected of ties to the Islamic State (IS).
• Syrian authorities had been monitoring the attacker for suspected leaks to IS but decided against immediate arrest to uncover his network.
• The incident occurred during a joint US-Syrian meeting near Palmyra, where the attacker opened fire and was subsequently killed.
• The attack raises significant questions about the depth of IS infiltration within Syrian security forces and the reliability of the US-Syria partnership.

Why It Matters: ISIS infiltration in Syrian security forces threatens US partnership.