Overview
- Two U.S. Army soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter were killed and three service members were wounded during a joint patrol near Palmyra, Pentagon officials said.
- The attack occurred during a key leader engagement supporting counter-ISIS operations, and the wounded were evacuated by helicopter to the al-Tanf garrison.
- CENTCOM said a lone ISIS gunman carried out the ambush and was killed by partner forces, while Syrian officials said the shooter was a Syrian security member already under investigation.
- President Donald Trump vowed “very serious retaliation,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the attacker was killed, and the military opened an active investigation.
- The Pentagon is withholding the identities of the fallen pending next-of-kin notifications, as Washington and Damascus pursue renewed counter-ISIS cooperation following Assad’s ouster.