In the same week Syrians were celebrating a positive new chapter in their country, an ambush attack has killed two United States Army soldiers and an American interpreter in Syria, the Pentagon announced Saturday.
“Today in Palmyra, Syria, two United States Army soldiers and one civilian U.S. interpreter were killed, and three were wounded,” chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote on X Saturday.
“The attack occurred as the soldiers were conducting a key leader engagement. Their mission was in support of ongoing counter-ISIS/counter-terrorism operations in the region,” Parnell stated.
He added, “The soldiers’ names, as well as identifying information about their units, are being withheld until 24 hours after the next of kin notification.”
The attack on the U.S. troops, reportedly by a member of the Islamic State, is the first to inflict casualties since deposed President Bashar Assad left office a year ago and fled the country, according to the Associated Press.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also posted on X, saying “the savage who perpetrated” the 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,” Hegseth wrote.
“A Pentagon official told Fox News Digital that the attack unfolded in a place where the Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa does not have control and initial assessments show it likely was carried out by the Islamic State terrorist group,” Fox News reported.
“‘The United States, CIA and military forces are reportedly deeply involved in securing and stabilizing the situation in Syria,’ Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, recently told” Fox.
Helicopters took the injured in Saturday’s attack to the al-Tanf garrison, which is “near the border with Iraq and Jordan,” AP reported.
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social:
We mourn the loss of three Great American Patriots in Syria, two soldiers, and one Civilian Interpreter. Likewise, we pray for the three injured soldiers who, it has just been confirmed, are doing well. 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.
The President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious retaliation.
As of mid-2025, the U.S. had about 1,500 troops left in Syria following withdrawals and consolidations ordered by the Pentagon, with that number expected to be reduced to several hundred by the end of this year, Fox reported in June.
That number has since been further reduced to about 900.
The U.S. at one time had eight bases in Syria to keep an eye on the terrorist group ISIS when it was attempting to set up a caliphate in 2014. Three of those have since been closed down or turned over to Syrian Democratic Forces, according to Fox’s report on the latest casualties.
The ambush of U.S. troops presented a sharp contrast to celebratory events earlier in the week, when tens of thousands filled the streets of Damascus to mark the first anniversary of the Assad regime’s collapse.
The former Syrian dictator escaped the capital as rebel forces ended five decades of Assad family rule.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times best seller House of Secrets and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more
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