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Two US army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in Syria on Saturday by an attacker who targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces before being shot dead.
The attack was barely a month after Syria announced it had signed a political cooperation agreement with the US-led coalition against Islamic State, which coincided with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House.
The attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces, three local officials told Reuters news agency. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson told a state-run television channel that the man did not have a leadership role in the security forces.
On December 10, officials released an assessment suggesting that the individual involved in the recent attack might be influenced by extremist ideologies. A decision regarding his status was scheduled to be made tomorrow, confirmed Noureddine el-Baba, a spokesperson speaking to the Syrian TV channel Al-Ikhbariya.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, US President Donald Trump vowed “very serious retaliation”, mourning the loss of “three great patriots”. He described the incident in remarks to reporters as a “terrible” attack.
Three US soldiers were also wounded in the attack, the US military’s central command said.
The assault, carried out by a lone gunman, took place while soldiers were engaged in a significant leadership meeting in Palmyra, a central town in Syria, according to a statement from the central command. The attacker was neutralized by “partner forces,” as noted by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in a post on social media.
A senior US official said initial assessments indicated that Islamic State probably carried out the attack, although the militant group did not immediately claim responsibility.
It took place in an area not controlled by the Syrian government, the official said.
The US-led coalition has carried out air strikes and ground operations in Syria targeting Islamic State suspects in recent months, often with the involvement of Syria’s security forces. Syria last month also carried out a nationwide campaign arresting more than 70 people accused of links to the group.
