Tragic Loss: Identifying Two Iowa Guard Members Killed in Syrian Attack

WASHINGTON – The U.S. military has identified two Iowa National Guard members who were tragically killed in an attack over the weekend in Syria, an incident being attributed to the Islamic State group.

The soldiers have been named as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, from Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, from Marshalltown, according to an announcement by the U.S. Army.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has called for all state flags to be lowered to half-staff to honor the fallen guardsmen, stating, “We are grateful for their service and deeply mourn their loss.”

Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, reported that a civilian contractor working as a U.S. interpreter was also killed in the attack. Additionally, three other Guard members were injured; two are currently in stable condition, while the third is reported to be in good condition, according to the Iowa National Guard.

This attack poses a significant challenge to the improved relations between the United States and Syria following the removal of Bashar Assad from power a year ago. The U.S. military has been broadening its collaboration with Syrian security forces, with hundreds of American troops stationed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition battling IS.

The incident occurred on Saturday in the Syrian desert near the ancient city of Palmyra. It also resulted in injuries to members of Syria’s security forces and the death of the gunman. A Syrian official disclosed that the attacker had been employed as a security guard at a military base for two months and was recently reassigned due to suspicions of IS affiliations.

The man stormed a meeting between U.S. and Syrian security officials who were having lunch together and opened fire after clashing with Syrian guards, Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba said Sunday.

Al-Baba acknowledged that the incident was “a major security breach” but said that in the year since Assad’s fall, “there have been many more successes than failures” by security forces.

The Army said Monday that the incident is under investigation, but military officials have blamed the attack on an IS member.

President Donald Trump said over the weekend that “there will be very serious retaliation” for the attack and that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was “devastated by what happened,” stressing that Syria was fighting alongside U.S. troops.

Trump welcomed al-Sharaa, who led the lightning insurgency that toppled Assad’s rule, to the White House for a historic meeting last month.

Torres-Tovar and Howard were dedicated soldiers and “cherished members” of the Iowa National Guard family, Stephen Osborn, adjutant general, said in a statement.

“Our focus now is providing unwavering support to their families through this unimaginable time and ensuring the legacy of these two heroes is never forgotten,” Osborn said.

Howard remembered as first in, last out

Howard had wanted to be a soldier since he was a young boy, according to Jeffrey Bunn, Howard’s stepfather and chief of the Meskwaki Nation Police Department in Tama, Iowa, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northeast of Des Moines. Howard “loved what he was doing and would be the first in and last out,” Bunn wrote late Saturday in a post on the police department’s Facebook page.

Howard also was a loving husband and an “amazing man of faith,” Bunn said, adding that Howard’s younger brother, a staff sergeant in the Iowa Guard, would escort “Nate” back to Iowa.

Howard was inspired by his grandfather’s service and wanted to serve for 20 years, according to an April post on a Facebook page dedicated to sharing stories of the unit. He had already served for over 11 years.

Howard “wants his battle buddies to know he’s always there,” the post said, “whether to help or simply listen.”

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Associated Press writers Abby Sewell in Beirut and Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.