Two U.S. Army soldiers and an American civilian interpreter were killed in Syria Dec. 13 in an ambush attack that the White House has attributed to ISIS, and President Donald Trump has promised “very serious retaliation.”
“This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them,” Trump posted on Truth Social. The attack occurred in Palmyra and targeted a joint U.S.-Syrian patrol that was focused on counterterrorism operations in the area, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al Shaibani confirmed on X.
U.S. Central Command stated on X that the ambush was carried out by a single ISIS gunman who was engaged and killed. The attack left three others wounded, but they are “doing well,” according to Trump.
The president promised retaliation in his social media post and confirmed during a press conference Saturday that the U.S. will retaliate against ISIS. He emphasized to reporters that Syria “was fighting along with us” and said that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is “devastated” by the ambush.
Trump said during the conference that “We mourn the loss of three great patriots in Syria” and later promised prayers for their parents and loved ones. According to Parnell, the soldiers’ names and identifying information about their units are being withheld until 24 hours after their families have been notified.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth condemned the attack on X, stating, “The savage who perpetrated this attack was killed by partner forces. 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.”
According to NBC News, there are roughly 2,000 U.S. military troops in Syria, “mainly stationed in the northeast, where they work with local security to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State.” The New York Times reported that the attack marks the first American casualties in the country since Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime was overthrown last year.
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