WASHINGTON: An Al-Qaeda cell in Syria known as the Khorasan Group, which was targeted by US airstrikes this week, represents “a clear and present danger” to commercial flights to Europe and the United States, the Obama administration’s top aviation security official said Friday.
The purpose of the airstrikes was to disrupt an “imminent attack or attack entering the last phases of execution,” said John Pistole, head of the Transportation Security Administration. The Khorasan Group has been researching and testing improvised explosive devices designed to elude airport security, he said.
Pistole’s remarks, which came at a luncheon of the Washington Aero Club, were among the most detailed to date about potential terror threats posed by the group. The Obama administration on Sept. 18 publicly acknowledged for the first time the existence of the shadowy group of veteran Al-Qaeda members.
“The stakes are real and the threats are high,” Pistole said to members of the Aero Club, an organization that promotes aviation. “I see the Khorasan Group as being a very capable, determined enemy who was very much focused on getting somebody or something on a plane bound for Europe or the United States.”
Though the Khorasan Group was has been known to US intelligence officials, the name only recently became public after a series of articles about the threats it poses to the US. Officials said military strikes Monday night were intended to disrupt an imminent plot, but “imminent,” when used by the government in terms of intelligence, does not necessarily mean it was about to happen. There was no information about a specific target, for instance.
Intelligence officials have known for months that Khorasan Group extremists were scheming with bomb-makers from Al-Qaeda’s Yemen affiliate to find new ways to get explosives onto planes. Their plans were far enough along that the TSA in July asked for additional passenger screening at certain overseas airports with direct flights to the US, including that passengers be required to turn on laptops, tablets and other electronic devices, Pistole said.
The group has been recruiting Westerners to carry explosives onto a plane or put one on a cargo plane. There are some 8,850 people associated with “foreign terrorist fighter activity” on the terror watch list of people banned from flying to, from or within the US, according to the FBI. But Pistole said many of these western Khorasan recruits may not be on that list.
The TSA is looking at more steps that can be taken in the US and overseas to “increase aviation security without shutting down commerce, trade and the tourism business,” Pistole said. Some additional security measures have already been taken in the US, he said, but declined to describe them.
There are about 275 airports around the world with direct flights to the US Enhanced security measures are being used at “a couple dozen” airports in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa based on intelligence that those airports might be used by a terrorist to fly to the US, Pistole said. But he indicated those measures aren’t foolproof.
“We have medium-to-high confidence depending upon which airport and what day it is,” Pistole said.
Pistole pointed to the underwear bomb that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to detonate on a passenger jet over Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009, noting that Abdulmutallab traveled through three airports before getting on the flight to the US. Those airports used metal detectors, but Abdulmutallab’s underwear bomb didn’t contain metal.
“We audit and inspect all airports that have nonstop passenger or cargo service to the US and give them a passing grade for the day we were there so you can see what was is going on,” he said. “The concern is that, for any number of issues, they may not be on their A-game” on the day that a terrorist goes through the airport in route to the US
The TSA is looking at their list of overseas airports that might be used by a terrorist to see if there are other steps that can be taken “to buy down risk,” Pistole said. He declined to identify those airports or the steps under consideration.
Khorasan refers to a province under the Islamic caliphate, or religious empire, of old that included parts of Afghanistan. The group is a cadre of veteran Al-Qaeda fighters from Afghanistan and Pakistan who traveled to Syria to link up with the Al-Qaeda affiliate there, the Nusra Front.
The Khorasan Group’s plotting with Al-Qaeda’s Yemen affiliate, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, shows that, despite the damage that years of drone missile strikes has done to the leadership of core Al-Qaeda in Pakistan, the movement still can threaten the West. The Yemen affiliate has been able to place three bombs on US-bound airliners, though none has succeeded in downing the aircraft.
Khorasan group tagged as 'threat to aviation'
Khorasan group tagged as 'threat to aviation'
Why US-Syrian coordination is more important than ever
- A deadly Daesh attack on a joint patrol strengthens the case for cooperation between Washington and Damascus, say analysts
- They say as Syria joins global anti-Daesh coalition, sustained US and international support is vital to dismantle the Assad regime legacy
LONDON: A deadly terrorist attack that targeted a joint patrol of Syrian security forces and US troops near the ancient city of Palmyra has drawn strong condemnation across the Arab world, while also highlighting the importance and potential of emerging cooperation between Damascus and Washington.
Saturday’s attack in Palmyra, in Syria’s central Homs countryside, struck a joint Syrian-US patrol during a field tour of the area. The city, home to UNESCO-listed ruins, was occupied by Daesh during two periods between 2015 and 2017, marked by systematic cultural destruction, public executions and severe repression of civilians.
According to official accounts, the assailant opened fire on the patrol, killing two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter, and wounding three US troops and two Syrian security personnel. US Central Command said the attacker was an alleged Daesh militant who was subsequently killed.
In a post on the social-media platform X, Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani condemned the attack, calling it a “terrorist” assault on a joint counterterrorism patrol. He extended condolences to the families of the victims and to the US government and people, and wished the injured a swift recovery.
On Sunday, Syria’s Interior Ministry said the attacker was a member of the security forces who had been identified for dismissal over extremist views. Noureddine Al-Baba, a ministry spokesperson, said the individual had served for more than 10 months, had been posted to several cities, and was due to be fired for holding “extremist Islamist ideas.”
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, warned of “very serious retaliation,” describing the incident as a Daesh attack in a part of Syria “not fully controlled” by Damascus. He added that Syria’s interim president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, was “extremely angry and disturbed” by the assault.
For Ghassan Ibrahim, a Syria expert and founder of the Global Arab Network, the attack exposes long-standing structural problems rather than a sudden failure. “These problems are not new; what is happening now is that we are uncovering them,” he told Arab News.
He said extremism and the resurgence of Daesh were rooted in the legacy of the deposed regime of Bashar Assad, compounded by years of international disengagement and mismanagement of the Syrian conflict. “Daesh, extremism and similar threats are the direct result of that failure,” he said, adding that the current moment should be used to confront, rather than evade, these realities.
Ibrahim argued that the Palmyra incident must be understood in the context of a rapidly rebuilt security apparatus. The Syrian government, he said, has been working under intense pressure to reconstruct its army and internal security forces after years of war. “What happened was largely a consequence of the urgency of that rebuilding process,” he said.
Crucially, he added, the incident could ultimately strengthen cooperation with Washington. Syrian officials, through ongoing contacts with US counterparts, understand that despite the tragedy, the attack could serve as a catalyst for deeper coordination. “The Americans understand this does not point to a systemic security gap,” Ibrahim said. “Incidents like this can occur in any army, especially one that is barely a year old.”
KEY DATES IN US-SYRIA POLICY SHIFT
• May 13: President Trump announces US will end sanctions on Syria.
• May 23: Caesar Act sanctions waived for 180 days.
• July 1: Comprehensive US sanctions on Syria formally terminated.
• Nov. 10: Caesar Act waiver extended for an additional 180 days.
Both Ibrahim and Ibrahim Hamidi, editor-in-chief of the Arabic magazine Al-Majalla, stressed that the Palmyra attack underscores the inseparable link between security and development.
Central Syria, particularly the vast and sparsely populated areas around Palmyra stretching toward the Euphrates, remains vulnerable to Daesh remnants, Ibrahim said. Many militants, he noted, escaped from prisons or camps once controlled by Kurdish-led forces in the northeast, sometimes through bribery, and now operate with relative freedom.
“Eliminating Daesh is essential for sustainable development,” Ibrahim said. “Without security, development cannot be sustained.” He added that this dual imperative explains Syria’s decision to join the international coalition against Daesh — a strategy aimed at restoring stability while laying the groundwork for long-term recovery.
Hamidi echoed that assessment, saying US talk of “retaliation” would likely be interpreted in Damascus as a signal of readiness for closer cooperation rather than confrontation. Such cooperation, he said, could involve intelligence sharing, operational coordination, and stricter vetting of new recruits in Syria’s General Security services.
But he cautioned that cooperation is a delicate process. “It is built quietly,” Hamidi said, noting that Syria formally joined the Global Coalition Against Daesh during interim President Al-Sharaa’s visit to Washington and his meeting with Trump on Nov. 10. The Palmyra attack, he added, is a major test of whether trust can be institutionalized.
Hamidi said when he met Al-Sharaa in August, the Syrian leader, who has survived three attempts on his life by Daeshs, identified the group as his enemy number one, citing the loss of 2,000 men so far. Damascus, he added, expects greater US support given that Syrian government forces are Sunni conservatives and direct partners in the fight against Daesh, unlike other regional actors.
Addressing the deeper question of Syria’s need for international backing, Hamidi said dismantling the legacy of the former regime — built over five or six decades — cannot be achieved quickly or in isolation. “The Palmyra attack is the first in which both American and Syrian victims were killed, but it will not be the last,” he said. “Joint counterterrorism operations will reduce the risks.”
That message was echoed by Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, who said the attack underscored Daesh’s enduring global threat. Washington’s strategy, he said, is to empower capable Syrian partners with limited US operational support, keeping the fight local while preventing a resurgence of the group.
Meanwhile, Arab states have strongly condemned the attack in Syria. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Jordan all issued statements rejecting terrorism and expressing solidarity with Syria and the US, underscoring regional backing for stability and counterterrorism cooperation.
The attack came amid a broader recalibration of US policy toward Syria following the fall of the Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, 2024. Sanctions have been eased, the Caesar Act partially suspended, and Syria has been reintegrated into international frameworks, including the Global Coalition Against Daesh as its 90th member.
While Syria’s formal participation in the anti-Daesh coalition is new, coordination with the US began shortly after the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime, when the extremist group appeared to be regrouping and expanding its operations.
Daesh mounted at least 660 attacks across Syria in 2024 — its most active year since its territorial defeat in 2019 — according to data compiled by Syria Weekly.
On Nov. 8, two days before President Al-Sharaa’s trip to Washington, Syria’s Interior Ministry said it had carried out 61 nationwide raids targeting Daesh cells. The operations resulted in 71 arrests and the seizure of weapons and explosives, the ministry told state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV.
