Two American soldiers and one civilian interpreter from the US have lost their lives in Syria due to an ambush set by an Islamic State (IS) gunman, as reported by the US Central Command.
Authorities indicated that three additional service members sustained injuries during the incident, in which the gunman was “confronted and killed”.
US President Donald Trump stated on social media that this was “an ISIS attack” directed at both the US and Syria, vowing “a very serious retaliation”. The Syrian government has released a statement denouncing the assault.
The names of the deceased will remain undisclosed for 24 hours until their family members have been notified, according to the US Central Command.
In a message on X, the US Central Command, responsible for overseeing American military actions in Europe, Africa, and the Indo-Pacific, stated that the incident was “the outcome of an ambush by a solitary ISIS gunman”, while a Pentagon representative noted that preliminary evaluations suggested the incident was “probable” to have been executed by the Islamic State group.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the assailant was affiliated with the Syrian security forces.
No group has taken responsibility for the assault, and the identity of the attacker has yet to be disclosed.
The ambush transpired in Palmyra, situated in the center of the nation, as the soldiers were reportedly “engaged in a key leader interaction”, according to Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.
He noted that the incident is currently under investigation.
A Pentagon official remarked: “This assault occurred in an area not under the Syrian president’s control.”
Trump also mentioned that the three injured US soldiers were “recovering well”. Syria’s state news indicated that two Syrian military personnel were likewise hurt.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth declared: “Be aware, if you target Americans – anywhere across the globe you will spend the remainder of your short, anxious life knowing that the United States will pursue you, locate you, and mercilessly dispatch you.”
In a statement on X, Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani expressed the country’s condemnation of the assault, extending condolences to the bereaved families.
Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and a special envoy for Syria, stated: “I firmly denounce the cowardly terrorist ambush aimed at a joint US-Syrian government patrol in central Syria.”
“We will continue our commitment to defeating terrorism alongside our Syrian partners.”
Last month, President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Donald Trump at the White House during a visit that the Syrian leader described as a part of a “new era” for the two nations.
Syria has recently allied with an international coalition to fight IS and has promised to collaborate with the US.
The global coalition aims to eliminate the remaining factions of the so-called Islamic State and control the influx of foreign fighters to the Middle East.
In 2019, a US-supported alliance of Syrian troops announced IS had lost its last remaining territory in Syria, but since then the extremist group has executed several attacks.
The United Nations estimates that the group still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
US forces have been stationed in Syria since 2015 to assist in training other forces as part of an ongoing campaign against IS.
