Two U.S. soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter have been killed in Syria following an ambush by a suspected Islamic State (IS) gunman, according to U.S. Central Command.
Officials report that three additional service members sustained injuries during the attack, in which the gunman was “engaged and killed.”
U.S. President Donald Trump stated on social media that the incident was “an ISIS attack” against the U.S. and Syria, promising “a very serious retaliation.” The Syrian government has released a statement condemning the attack.
The identities of the deceased are being withheld for a 24-hour period to allow for next-of-kin notification, U.S. Central Command confirmed.
In a post on X, U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in Europe, Africa, and the Indo-Pacific, described the attack as “the result of an ambush by a lone ISIS gunman.” A Pentagon official indicated that initial assessments suggest the attack was “likely” perpetrated by the Islamic State group.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, alleges the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, and the gunman’s identity remains undisclosed.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated that the ambush occurred in Palmyra, located in central Syria, while the soldiers were “conducting a key leader engagement.”
He added that the attack is currently under investigation.
A Pentagon official noted, “This attack took place in an area where the Syrian president does not have control.”
President Trump added that the three injured U.S. soldiers were “doing well.” Syrian state news has reported that two Syrian service personnel were also injured.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asserted: “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.”
Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani conveyed the country’s condemnation of the attack and offered condolences to the victims’ families in a post on X.
Tom Barrack, U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, stated: “I strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist ambush targeting a joint US–Syrian government patrol in central Syria.”
“We remain committed to defeating terrorism with our Syrian partners.”
Last month, President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Donald Trump at the White House in a visit that the Syrian leader said was part of a “new era” for the two countries.
Syria recently joined an international coalition to combat IS and has pledged to co-operate with the US.
The global coalition is aimed at eliminating the remaining elements of the so-called Islamic State and stemming the flow of foreign militants to the Middle East.
In 2019, a U.S.-backed alliance of Syrian fighters announced IS had lost the last pocket of territory in Syria it controlled, but since then the jihadist group has carried out some attacks.
The United Nations estimates that the group still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
U.S. troops have maintained a presence in Syria since 2015 to assist in training other forces as part of a campaign against IS.