A Trio of US Citizens Fatally Wounded in Syrian Territory by Suspected ISIS Assailant, Pentagon Reports
A fatal attack in the heart of Syria on Saturday led to the deaths of two US army soldiers and a US civilian translator, with a number of others wounded, as stated by the US Department of Defense.
The assault on American forces in the historic city of Tadmur represents the first event to inflict casualties following the fall of ex-leader Bashar al-Assad approximately a year ago.
"This assault took place while the soldiers were carrying out a high-level meeting," a Pentagon spokesperson said. "The operation was in aid of on-going anti-ISIS / anti-terror missions in the area."
The assailant behind the shooting was eliminated by partner forces, as confirmed by a statement from the Secretary of Defense.
Specifics Withheld Out of Respect
US CENTCOM indicated that, as a matter of respect for the families and in line with policy, the identities of the fallen service members will be withheld until a full day after their families have been notified.
Initial accounts from Syrian state media and a war monitor stated that gunfire rang out during a visit by American troops to the area of Tadmur.
Varying Accounts Emerge
Per a government media outlet, a pair of local security forces and several US personnel were wounded in the incident. The injured were reportedly evacuated by helicopters to a military base near the frontier with neighboring countries.
A spokesperson for the Syrian government claimed a shooter affiliated with ISIS opened fire at the gate of a army position. Officials are looking into whether the assailant was a formal member of the group or simply espoused its extreme ideology.
This spokesperson also refuted a claim from a Britain-based monitoring group that the gunman was a security member.
Ongoing US Presence in the Region
The US currently has a military presence deployed in eastern Syria as part of a broader coalition fighting the Islamic State.
Despite being militarily routed in the country in recent years, the group's sleeper cells continue to execute lethal strikes. United Nations assessments suggest the group retains thousands of fighters in Syria and Iraq.
US troops have previously been attacked in the past. One of the most severe prior incidents took place in that year in northern Syria, when an explosion killed American soldiers and US civilians, among additional casualties.