US envoy says Islamic State likely behind Syria pipeline blast
James Jeffrey said the explosion at a major gas pipeline on the outskirts of Damascus was "almost certainly a strike" by the Islamic State.
The apparent attack on a key gas pipeline that led to a massive power outage across Syria was likely the work of the Islamic State (IS), US Envoy for Syria James Jeffrey said Monday.
The explosion was “almost certainly a strike" by IS, Jeffrey told reporters in Geneva, adding that the United States was still looking into the cause. The senior State Department official is in the Swiss city representing the United States at United Nations-facilitated talks aimed at drafting a new constitution for Syria.
Jeffrey pointed to an uptick of militant activity in the eastern and southeastern regions near the Iraqi and Jordanian borders with Syria. Hundreds of American troops are based in the country to assist local partner forces, including the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, with preventing an IS resurgence.
