A Trio of US Citizens Fatally Wounded in Syrian Territory by Alleged Islamic State Assailant, Pentagon Reports
A deadly ambush in the heart of Syria on Saturday morning led to the deaths of two US army soldiers and one American civilian interpreter, with several other people injured, according to the Pentagon.
This offensive on American forces in the historic city of Tadmur represents the first incident to inflict casualties following the ouster of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad approximately a year ago.
"This assault took place while the service members were carrying out a high-level meeting," a Pentagon spokesperson stated. "The operation was in aid of ongoing counter-ISIS / anti-terror operations in the region."
The attacker responsible for the gunfire was killed by allied troops, as confirmed by a statement from the US defense secretary.
Specifics Withheld Out of Respect
US CENTCOM noted that, to respect the privacy for the families and in line with standard procedure, the identities of the deceased personnel will not be released until a full day after their next of kin have been notified.
Initial accounts from local news agencies and a conflict observatory stated that gunfire erupted during a tour by American troops to the central town of Tadmur.
Conflicting Reports Emerge
According to a government media outlet, a pair of local security forces and several US personnel were wounded in the exchange. The injured were allegedly transported by helicopters to a garrison near the border with Iraq and Jordan.
A spokesperson for Syria's interior ministry claimed a shooter linked to ISIS opened fire at the entrance of a military post. Officials are investigating whether the assailant was a formal member of the organization or merely adhered to its extreme ideology.
This spokesperson further denied a report from a UK-based monitoring group that the attacker was a security member.
Ongoing US Presence in Syria
The United States currently has hundreds of troops stationed in Syria's east as part of a broader coalition fighting the ISIS militant group.
Even after being militarily routed in Syria in recent years, the group's sleeper cells continue to carry out deadly attacks. UN assessments indicate the group retains thousands of fighters in Syria and Iraq.
American forces have been targeted in the past. Among the most severe prior incidents occurred in that year in the north, when an blast claimed the lives of two US service members and US civilians, among additional casualties.
