- Convoy attacked during a confrontation with a key leader.
- Three US soldiers injured in attack: Centcom.
- The US ambassador in Turkiye condemns the attack.
Syria’s Interior Ministry confirmed Saturday that the man who attacked a convoy of US and Syrian forces was a member of its security forces.
The attack resulted in the deaths of three US service members, including two Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter, the US military said.
Three other US soldiers were wounded, the US military’s Central Command said.
In a statement, Central Command said the attack by a lone gunman occurred “as soldiers were carrying out a confrontation with a key leader” in the central Syrian city of Palmyra.
“Associated forces” killed the attacker, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a social media post.
Daesh did not immediately claim responsibility, but a senior US official said initial assessments indicate the militant group likely carried out the attack. It took place in an area not controlled by the Syrian government, the official said.
Soldiers’ names will be withheld until 24 hours after next of kin are notified, the US military said.
Syrian state news agency SANA quoted a security source as saying that two Syrian service personnel were wounded, without providing further details. The source told SANA that US helicopters evacuated the wounded to a US base in Syria’s Al-Tanf region, near the Iraqi border.
Tom Barrack, US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy to Syria, condemned the attack.
“We mourn the loss of three brave American military and civilian personnel and wish a speedy recovery to the Syrian troops injured in the attack,” Barrack said in a statement. “We remain committed to defeating terrorism with our Syrian partners.”
The attack came just a month after Syria announced it had signed a political cooperation agreement with the US-led coalition against Daesh, which coincided with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House.
The coalition has carried out airstrikes and ground operations in Syria against Daesh suspects in recent months, often involving Syrian security forces. Last month, Syria also carried out a nationwide campaign arresting more than 70 people accused of links to the group.
The United States has troops stationed in northeastern Syria as part of a decade-long effort to assist a Kurdish-led force there.
