A Trio of US Citizens Fatally Wounded in Syrian Territory by Alleged ISIS Assailant, US Defense Department Says
A fatal ambush in the heart of Syria on Saturday led to the deaths of a pair of American troops and a US civilian translator, with several other people injured, according to the US Department of Defense.
The assault on American forces in the historic city of Tadmur represents the first incident to inflict casualties following the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad roughly a year ago.
"The attack occurred as the soldiers were conducting a key leader engagement," an official stated. "Their mission was in support of on-going anti-ISIS / anti-terror missions in the region."
The attacker behind the shooting was killed by partner forces, according to a declaration from the US defense secretary.
Details Withheld For Privacy
US CENTCOM noted that, to respect the privacy for the families and in accordance with standard procedure, the names of the fallen service members will not be released until 24 hours after their families have been notified.
Initial accounts from local news agencies and a conflict observatory stated that shots rang out during a tour by US soldiers to the area of Tadmur.
Varying Accounts Emerge
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 reportedly evacuated by helicopters to a military base near the border with Iraq and Jordan.
An official for the Syrian government said a gunman linked to ISIS opened fire at the gate of a military post. Officials are looking into whether the individual was a card-carrying member of the group or merely espoused its extreme ideology.
The official also refuted a claim from a Britain-based monitoring group that the gunman was a security member.
Ongoing American Deployment in Syria
The US currently has hundreds of troops stationed in eastern Syria as part of a broader coalition fighting the ISIS militant group.
Despite being militarily routed in Syria in recent years, the organization's sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks. United Nations assessments suggest the faction retains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in both Syria and Iraq.
US troops have previously been attacked in the before. One of the most severe prior incidents took place in that year in northern Syria, when an blast claimed the lives of American soldiers and US civilians, among additional casualties.
