US-Syria Security Collaboration at Risk from Rising ISIL Attacks

US-Syrian Patrol Ambushed by Syrian Security Forces Near Palmyra

A joint US-Syrian patrol was ambushed by a member of Syria’s own security forces near Palmyra on December 13. Two US soldiers and an interpreter were killed in the attack, while four people were wounded before being treated by Syrian forces.

US officials have linked the attacker to ISIL (ISIS), which once controlled significant areas of Syria and Iraq. The incident highlights growing cooperation between the US and Syria against the group.

In November, Damascus joined the US-backed coalition against ISIL. Since then, analysts note that cooperation between the two countries is strengthening. Rob Geist Pinfold, a scholar of international security at King’s College London, stated that the Syrian government has responded robustly to fighting ISIL following US requests.

Syria’s Minister of Interior spokesman, Noureddine al-Baba, said there was no direct chain of command to the gunman within Syria’s internal security forces. Investigations are underway to determine whether the attacker had ties to ISIL or adopted a violent ideology.

ISIL took over Palmyra in May 2015 and was later expelled from the city in 2017. Many surviving fighters were imprisoned in camps controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Others escaped into the desert, where they have launched occasional attacks.

When the Assad regime fell on December 8, analysts said ISIL fighters used the chaos to launch attacks across the country. The group has since launched an attack on a church in Damascus that killed at least 25 people.

Recent estimates suggest ISIL’s manpower in Iraq and Syria is between 3,000 and 5,000 fighters. Experts point to improved coordination between Damascus and Washington, citing thwarted ISIL attacks due to US-provided intelligence.

A report by consulting firm Karam Shaar Advisory found a decrease in ISIL attacks in Syria since HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) joined the government in November. The number of attacks dropped from 63 per month in 2024 to 10 in 2025.

Source: Al Jazeera