Two US soldiers and an American civilian were killed, and several others wounded in an ISIS ambush near Palmyra, Syria. President Trump vowed “serious retaliation” against the attackers.
Two US soldiers and an American civilian were killed, and three others wounded in an ambush by the Islamic State (IS) group in central Syria on Saturday, the US Central Command said.
The attack marked the first assault on US troops in Syria to result in casualties since the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad a year ago, according to defence officials.
In a post on social media, Central Command said the identities of the deceased service members would be withheld for 24 hours, in line with Department of War policy, to allow notification of next of kin.
No further details were immediately released about the circumstances of the ambush or the condition of those wounded, news agency AP reported.
Syrian state media reported that shots were fired during a visit by US troops to a historic town in central Syria, leaving several people injured. The state-run SANA news agency said the shooting occurred near Palmyra and that two members of Syria’s security forces and several US service members were wounded.
Local reports said that the attacker was killed, without providing additional details.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least three Syrian security personnel and several Americans were wounded, adding that the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces.
TRUMP VOWS RETALIATION
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said that “there will be very serious retaliation” against the Islamic State (IS) group responsible for the attack.
“This was an ISIS attack against the US, and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them,” Trump said in a social media post.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, the president added that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was “devastated by what happened” and emphasised that Syria was cooperating with US forces in the region. Trump noted that al-Sharaa was “extremely angry and disturbed by this attack.”