Two US Army soldiers and an American civilian interpreter were killed, and three other US troops were wounded, in an ambush attributed to a lone Islamic State (ISIS) gunman in central Syria on Saturday. The attack took place near the historic city of Palmyra during a "key leader engagement" in support of ongoing counter-terrorism operations.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the fatalities, stating that the attack was an "ambush by a lone ISIS gunman" who was subsequently "engaged and killed" by partner forces. The Pentagon is withholding the identities of the deceased and wounded personnel pending next-of-kin notification.
The Attack Details
The incident occurred as US soldiers and a civilian interpreter were conducting a pre-planned engagement, reportedly near a Syrian Internal Security Forces facility in the Palmyra region. This area, located in the Syrian desert known as the Badia, remains a persistent hotbed of Islamic State sleeper cell activity.
- Casualties: Two US Army soldiers and one American civilian interpreter killed. Three other US service members were wounded.
- Location: Near Palmyra, in central Syria's Homs Governorate.
- Attacker: Identified by CENTCOM as a lone ISIS gunman. Local reports, however, suggested the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces who had been flagged for extremist ideas, though the Syrian Interior Ministry denied he held a leadership role.
- Response: The gunman was killed by "partner forces," a term that typically refers to local Syrian militias or security personnel trained and supported by the US. American helicopters evacuated the wounded to the Al-Tanf garrison, a US military base near the Syrian-Iraqi-Jordanian border.
Political Fallout and Vows of Retaliation
The attack marks the deadliest incident for American troops in Syria since 2019 and is the first to result in US casualties since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime a year ago.
US President Donald Trump offered condolences to the families of the fallen, describing the deceased as "three Great American Patriots." He vowed "very serious retaliation" for what he explicitly labeled an "ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria."
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed the strong warning in a social media post: "Let it be known, if you target Americans—anywhere in the world—you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you."
The incident comes shortly after the Syrian transitional government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, formally joined the US-led global coalition against ISIS, marking a significant warming of relations between Washington and Damascus. Syrian state media quoted a security source claiming that two Syrian service personnel were also injured in the attack.
The US maintains several hundred troops in eastern and central Syria as part of the mission to ensure the complete and enduring defeat of ISIS, whose sleeper cells continue to pose a threat across the region.
