A Trio of US Citizens Killed in Syrian Territory by Suspected Islamic State Gunman, Pentagon Says
A fatal attack in the heart of Syria on Saturday morning resulted in the deaths of two US army soldiers and one American civilian interpreter, with a number of others wounded, as stated by the US Department of Defense.
The assault on US troops in the historic town of Palmyra marks the first event to inflict casualties following the ouster of ex-leader Bashar al-Assad approximately a year ago.
"This assault took place while the soldiers were conducting a high-level meeting," an official said. "Their mission was in aid of on-going anti-ISIS / anti-terror missions in the region."
The assailant behind the shooting was killed by partner forces, as confirmed by a declaration from the Secretary of Defense.
Specifics Withheld Out of Respect
US CENTCOM indicated that, as a matter of respect for the loved ones and in accordance with policy, the names of the fallen service members will not be released until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified.
Earlier reports from local news agencies and a war monitor said that gunfire erupted during a visit by US soldiers to the area of Tadmur.
Varying Accounts Emerge
Per a state-run news agency, two members of local security forces and a number of US service members were wounded in the exchange. The injured were allegedly evacuated by aircraft to a military base near the border with neighboring countries.
A spokesperson for Syria's interior ministry claimed a gunman affiliated with Islamic State opened fire at the entrance of a army position. Officials are looking into whether the assailant was a formal member of the organization or simply adhered to its radical beliefs.
The official further refuted a claim from a Britain-based monitoring group that the attacker was a security member.
Continued American Deployment in Syria
The United States currently has hundreds of troops deployed in Syria's east as part of a broader coalition fighting the Islamic State.
Even after being militarily routed in Syria in 2019, the group's dormant networks continue to execute lethal strikes. UN estimates indicate the faction still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in both Syria and Iraq.
American forces have previously been attacked in the before. Among the deadliest prior incidents occurred in that year in northern Syria, when an explosion claimed the lives of two US service members and two American civilians, among additional casualties.
