who was to have been fired for extremism. Two US troops and a civilian interpreter died in what the Syrian government described as a "terrorist attack" on Saturday, while Washington said it had been carried out by an Islamic State group (IS) militant who was then killed.

The Syrian authorities "had decided to fire him" from the security forces before the attack for holding "extremist Islamist ideas" and had planned to do so on Sunday, interior ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba told state television. A Syrian security official told AFP on Sunday that "11 members of the general security forces were arrested and brought in for questioning after the attack". The official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the gunman had belonged to the security forces "for more than 10 months and was posted to several cities before being transferred to Palmyra".

Palmyra, home to UNESCO-listed ancient ruins, was controlled by IS at the height of its territorial expansion in Syria.  The incident is the first of its kind reported since Islamist-led forces overthrew longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December last year, and rekindled the country's ties with the United States.US President Donald Trump vowed "very serious retaliation" following Saturday's attack. (Bssnews)