A joint U.S. and Syrian patrol rolled into Palmyra on a feel-good “engagement” mission and got exactly what any sane American expects from that desert. ISIS animals opened fire and detonated on the convoy, murdering two of our soldiers and an American interpreter and sending more of our guys to the hospital. This is what happens every time Washington listens to the foreign policy priesthood and treats Syria like some charity case instead of a snake pit full of people who pray for dead Americans.
The so-called new Syria is run by Ahmed al-Sharaa (Abu Mohammad al-Jolani), a former al-Qaeda darling in a suit. His fanboys and security goons are the same Sunni head choppers who used to pose with ISIS flags.
One of those men just helped pull off the Palmyra hit. He moved in the same jihad swamp, smiled through the same rallies, then turned around and went hunting for a U.S. patrol. That is Jolani’s “reform.” Same terror, better tailoring.
Trump’s reaction was exactly right. He promised retaliation and made it clear that anyone who lifts a finger against American troops in that dust bowl will be hunted down and erased. That is the only language these people understand. When the Caliphate crowd watches missiles land on their camps and safe houses, they finally remember who’s in charge.
There is no moderate Islamist partner waiting to help the West. There are rival gangs of Islamists who hate America, hate Christians, hate Israel, and only differ on which flag they paint on the suicide vest. Our people should not be dying to babysit that. If we are there at all, it should be to kill terrorists and protect American interests, not to walk our heroes into ambushes for the sake of some think-tank-fantasy about “stabilizing” Syria.