Three US Citizens Killed in Syrian Territory by Alleged Islamic State Assailant, Pentagon Reports
A deadly attack in the heart of Syria on Saturday morning led to the deaths of two US army soldiers and a US civilian translator, with a number of others wounded, as stated by the Pentagon.
The assault on American forces in the historic city of Palmyra marks the initial incident to inflict casualties following the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad approximately a year prior.
"The attack took place while the service members were conducting a key leader engagement," a Pentagon spokesperson stated. "The operation was in support of on-going anti-ISIS / counter-terrorism missions in the area."
The attacker responsible for the gunfire was killed by allied troops, according to a statement from the Secretary of Defense.
Specifics Withheld For Privacy
Central Command noted that, to respect the privacy for the families and in accordance with policy, the names of the fallen service members will not be released until a full day after their next of kin have been notified.
Earlier reports from Syrian state media and a war monitor said that gunfire rang out during a visit by US soldiers to the central town of Tadmur.
Varying Accounts Emerge
According to a government news agency, a pair of local security forces and several US service members were wounded in the incident. The injured were allegedly evacuated by helicopters to a military base near the frontier with Iraq and Jordan.
An official for the Syrian government said a shooter affiliated with Islamic State began shooting at the entrance of a army position. Authorities are investigating whether the assailant was a formal member of the group or merely adhered to its extreme ideology.
The official also refuted a report from a Britain-based rights group that the attacker was a member of the security forces.
Continued US Presence in Syria
The US currently has hundreds of troops stationed in Syria's east as a component of a broader coalition combating the Islamic State.
Even after being militarily routed in Syria in recent years, the group's dormant networks still carry out lethal strikes. UN estimates suggest the faction retains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in both Syria and Iraq.
American forces have been attacked in the before. Among the most severe prior incidents took place in that year in northern Syria, when an blast claimed the lives of two US service members and US civilians, among additional casualties.
