Pressure on Syria to quell extremists after killing of US troops

One of the sources, who is based in Jordan and specialises in Syria, expected the US to demand a review of the members of the new security apparatus that replaced the former Assad regime, and more rigorous vetting of candidates. They said the US could also apply pressure on Syria to curb the influence of hardliners who were rewarded for their role in the removal of Bashar Al Assad with security positions. “There could be thousands like the attacker in Palmyra in the system,” the source in Jordan said. They said the new authorities had “rushed” to recruit at least 100,000 men since the downfall of Bashar Al Assad – most of them Sunni and all supportive of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, the former Al Qaeda affiliate that ousted the regime in December last year (Read more at The National).