ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – US President Donald Trump on Monday hailed the “amazing” developments in Syria since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, and commended current President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

“It’s been amazing what’s taken place in Syria,” Trump said during a press briefing at the White House, lauding the overturn of the former Baath regime and the shift of authority in Damascus.

“We got rid of Assad, we got rid of other people that were really bad people, and that were in the way of peace in the Middle East,” the American leader stated, claiming that there is currently “legitimate peace” in the Middle East, “for the first time in 3,000 years.”

“The new leader is a strong person, and that’s what you need,” said Trump in regard to Sharaa.

The US president’s remarks come two days following an attack on US troops near the ancient city of Palmyra in the Syrian desert, during a joint field tour with Syrian security forces, that claimed the lives of three American nationals and the injury of several others.

Initial reports, including a now deleted post by the state-owned Syria TV which cited security sources, suggested the attack was carried out by a Syrian security force member, before later putting the blame on the Islamic State (ISIS), whose elements infest the desert region.

A source from the Pentagon told The New Region earlier that the area is outside of the Syrian government’s control.

US officials have vowed to retaliate against the militant group.

Trump’s remarks came in response to a reporter’s inquiry about the reason for continued US deployment in Syria, a country that the President himself described as “a rough part of the world.”

Trump asserted that the reason behind keeping troops in the country is “because we're trying to make sure that there's going to be and remain peace in the Middle East, and Syria is a big part of it.”

A day after the attack, Syrian government forces launched a security operation in Homs province, targeting suspected ISIS cells in Furqlus, al-Qaryatayn, and the eastern desert, according to local sources.

The operation reportedly led to the arrest of five people, including suspects linked to the shooting in Palmyra, as security measures were tightened in the area.

Syria joined the international coalition in November, becoming the body’s 90th partner to join the global fight against ISIS.

The announcement was made a day after Sharaa visited the US and met with Trump, during which Washington temporarily suspended key Caesar Act sanctions on Damascus and suggested that Syria should join the coalition.

Before its rise to power, the Sharaa-led Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) faction fought alongside many local and international jihadist entities in the fight against Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Syrian authorities now seek to bolster their relations with the West in order to normalize diplomatic relations, boost the economy, and support the country’s reconstruction, which involves joining the Western states in fighting the Islamic militant group.