Two U.S. Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in Syria on Saturday in an attack suspected to have been carried out by Islamic State, the U.S. military said.
The assault targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces in the central Syrian town of Palmyra. The attacker, described as a lone gunman, was later shot dead by partner forces, according to U.S. Central Command.
Three additional U.S. soldiers were wounded in the incident, Central Command said. The names of the fatalities are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
A senior U.S. official said initial assessments indicate Islamic State was likely responsible, although the militant group did not immediately claim responsibility. The attack occurred in an area not controlled by the Syrian government.
Three local officials told Reuters the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces. However, Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson Noureddine el-Baba said the man did not hold a leadership position and was under evaluation for possible extremist views.
“Elaborations were issued on December 10 indicating that this attacker might hold extremist ideas, and a decision regarding him was due to be issued on Sunday,” el-Baba said in an interview with state-run Al-Ikhbariya television.
El-Baba added that Syrian authorities had warned of a possible Islamic State attack in the region but said coalition forces did not take the warnings into account. He said Syria would determine whether the attacker had direct links to Islamic State or merely adhered to its ideology.
U.S. President Donald Trump condemned the attack, calling it “terrible,” and vowed “very serious retaliation” in a post on his Truth Social platform, while mourning the loss of what he described as “three great patriots.”
Syrian state news agency SANA reported that two Syrian service personnel were also wounded. According to a security source, American helicopters evacuated the injured to a U.S. base in Syria’s Al-Tanf region near the Iraqi border.
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack condemned the attack and expressed condolences. He said the United States remains committed to defeating terrorism alongside its Syrian partners.
The attack came weeks after Syria announced a political cooperation agreement with the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, coinciding with a visit by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to the White House.
The U.S.-led coalition has continued air strikes and ground operations against Islamic State in Syria in recent months, often in coordination with Syrian security forces. Last month, Syrian authorities said more than 70 people suspected of links to the group were arrested nationwide.
The United States has maintained troops in northeastern Syria for nearly a decade as part of efforts to support a Kurdish-led force and counter Islamic State.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
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