A rebel fighter sits in his vehicle in front of a building that used to house the US embassy in Damascus, days after the Assad regime was ousted (Louai Beshara/AFP via Getty Images)
The US embassy in Syria has warned its citizens of an “increased possibility” of attacks during the upcoming holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
“The US Department of State cautions US citizens of the increased possibility of attacks during Eid al-Fitr holiday, which could target embassies, international organisations, and Syrian public institutions in Damascus,” said a statement posted on the embassy website late Friday.
“Methods of attack could include… individual attackers, armed gunmen, or the use of explosive devices,” it added, without elaborating on specific threats or who may be behind them.
Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the Ramadan fasting month, is expected begin in the coming days but its exact timing will be determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, in accordance with the Muslim lunar calendar.
Security in Syria remains tenuous after Islamist-led forces overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December following nearly 14 years of war that erupted with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.
Washington advises its citizens not to travel to Syria “due to the significant risks of terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, hostage-taking, armed conflict, and unjust detention”, according to the statement.
The embassy’s operations have been suspended since 2012.
A worker at a United Nations body, requesting anonymity, told AFP that employees at international organisations in Syria had received a warning email about public gatherings that urged precautionary measures in the coming week.
War-torn Syria is awash with weapons and for years has been home to myriad armed groups and fighters including jihadists.
Syria’s transitional authorities face the daunting task maintaining security in the ethnically and religiously diverse country whose new security forces are still dominated by former Islamist rebels.
In January, authorities arrested an alleged Islamic State (IS) group commander accused of planning a foiled attempt to blow up a revered Shia Muslim shrine near Damascus.
It was the first time Syria’s new authorities said they had foiled an IS attack.
IS seized large swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory in the early years of Syria’s civil war, declaring a cross-border “caliphate” in 2014.
US-backed Kurdish-led forces in Syria territorially defeated IS in 2019, but the militants have maintained a presence in the country’s vast desert.
