A fatal ambush in the heart of Syria on Saturday morning resulted in the deaths of two US army soldiers and one American civilian interpreter, with several other people injured, as stated by the Pentagon.
The assault on US troops in the historic town of Palmyra represents the initial incident to inflict casualties following the fall of ex-leader Bashar al-Assad approximately a year ago.
"This assault occurred as the service members were carrying out a high-level meeting," an official stated. "The operation was in aid of on-going anti-ISIS / counter-terrorism operations in the region."
The assailant behind the shooting was killed by allied troops, according to a statement from the Secretary of Defense.
Details Kept Private Out of Respect
Central Command noted that, to respect the privacy for the families and in line with standard procedure, the identities of the fallen service members will be withheld until 24 hours after their families have been notified.
Initial accounts from local news agencies and a conflict observatory said that gunfire rang out during a tour by American troops to the area of Palmyra.
Conflicting Reports Surface
Per a state-run news agency, a pair of local security forces and a number of US personnel were wounded in the exchange. The injured were allegedly transported by aircraft to a garrison near the border with Iraq and Jordan.
An official for the Syrian government said a shooter affiliated with Islamic State began shooting at the gate of a army position. Authorities are looking into whether the assailant was a card-carrying member of the organization or merely adhered to its extreme ideology.
The official also denied a claim from a UK-based rights group that the gunman was a security member.
Continued American Deployment in Syria
The US currently has hundreds of troops deployed in eastern Syria as a component of a broader coalition combating the ISIS militant group.
Despite being declared defeated in Syria in 2019, the group's sleeper cells continue to carry out lethal strikes. United Nations assessments suggest the group still has thousands of fighters in both Syria and Iraq.
US troops have previously been targeted in the past. One of the most severe previous attacks took place in 2019 in the north, when an explosion claimed the lives of two US service members and two American civilians, among additional casualties.
