However, three local officials told Reuters the suspect was a member of Syria’s security forces. Syria’s Interior Ministry, speaking through a spokesperson, said the man did not hold a leadership post, but noted that an evaluation dated Wednesday, December 10, 2025, had raised concerns he may hold extremist views, with a decision on his case expected on Sunday, December 14, 2025.
The Interior Ministry spokesperson also claimed Syrian authorities had warned of the risk of an Islamic State attack in the area, but said coalition forces did not act on those warnings. Syria said it would investigate whether the attacker had direct links to the Islamic State or was merely influenced by the group’s ideology.
The attack comes roughly a month after Syria said it had signed a political cooperation agreement with the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State, an announcement that coincided with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House.
Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and Washington’s special envoy to Syria, condemned the assault and said the US remained committed to combating terrorism alongside Syrian partners. The US-led coalition has continued operations against Islamic State suspects in recent months, while Syria has reported nationwide arrests of dozens of people accused of ties to the militant group.
The United States maintains troops in northeastern Syria as part of a long-running mission supporting Kurdish-led forces and counter-terrorism operations.
Reuters