Two U.S. Army soldiers and a civilian U.S. interpreter were killed Saturday in an attack in Palmyra, Syria, the Pentagon said.
Three other U.S. personnel were wounded in the attack, which occurred during what the Pentagon described as a “key leader engagement” supporting ongoing counter-ISIS operations, according to a statement posted on X by Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson.
“This attack is currently under active investigation,” Parnell said. The names of the soldiers and details about their units are being withheld until at least 24 hours after next-of-kin notifications are complete.
A Pentagon official told NBC News the attack occurred in an area outside the control of Syria’s president and initial assessments indicate it was likely carried out by ISIS.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a separate X post that the person who carried out the attack was killed by U.S. partner forces. He did not provide additional details about the perpetrator of the forces involved.
“The savage who perpetrated this attack was killed by partner forces,” Hegseth wrote, adding that those who target Americans “will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you.”
The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that the attacker is a member of Syrian security forces.
The U.S. military has about 2,000 troops in Syria, mainly stationed in the northeast, where they work with local security to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State. The U.S. and other countries have re-engaged with Damascus under new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa since rebels ousted former President Bashar al-Assad.
