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yesterday

Trump Attends Dover Transfer for 2 Iowa Guardsmen and U.S. Interpreter Killed in Syria

Officials say the Palmyra attack remains under investigation, with no U.S. response announced yet.

President Donald Trump salutes as troops in Delaware carry the remains of Ayad Mansoor Sakat, a US civilian killed alongside two soldiers in Syria. Getty Images / AFP
U.S. President Donald Trump salutes, as members of the military carry a transfer case, during a dignified transfer of the remains of two Iowa National Guard members killed in Syria, Sgt. Edgar Torres Tovar and Sgt. William Howard, and Ayad Mansoor Sakat, of Macomb, Michigan, who was working as an interpreter in Syria, at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, U.S., December. 17, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
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Overview

  • The fallen were identified as Sgt. William N. Howard, 29, Sgt. Edgar B. Torres‑Tovar, 25, both of the Iowa National Guard’s 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry, and interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat of Michigan.
  • U.S. officials say an attacker opened fire during a key‑leader engagement near Palmyra, killing three and wounding three, before being killed by partner forces; the incident is under investigation.
  • At Dover Air Force Base, carry teams moved the flag‑draped cases from a C‑17 to the mortuary facility as President Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Iowa leaders and families looked on.
  • The White House says the president has vowed retaliation against ISIS, but the Pentagon has not announced any U.S. military action since the attack.
  • Sakat, 54, was born in Bakhdida, Iraq, came to the U.S. on a Special Immigrant Visa, and was working as a contractor for Valiant Integrated Services, his family said.