🔗 Share this article A Trio of Americans Fatally Wounded in Syria by Alleged Islamic State Assailant, US Defense Department Reports A fatal ambush in central Syria on Saturday morning resulted in the loss of a pair of American troops and one American civilian interpreter, with several other people injured, according to the US Department of Defense. This offensive on American forces in the ancient town of Palmyra represents the first event to inflict casualties following the ouster of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad roughly a year prior. "This assault occurred as the soldiers were conducting a high-level meeting," an official said. "The operation was in support of ongoing anti-ISIS / anti-terror missions in the area." The attacker behind the gunfire was killed by partner forces, according to a declaration from the Secretary of Defense. Specifics Kept Private For Privacy US CENTCOM indicated that, as a matter of respect for the families and in line with policy, the names of the deceased personnel will be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been informed. Earlier reports from local news agencies and a conflict observatory stated that gunfire erupted during a tour by US soldiers to the area of Palmyra. Varying Accounts Surface Per a government news agency, two members of local security forces and several US personnel were wounded in the exchange. The injured were reportedly transported by aircraft to a garrison near the frontier with Iraq and Jordan. An official for Syria's interior ministry said a shooter affiliated with ISIS opened fire at the gate of a army position. Officials are investigating whether the individual was a card-carrying member of the organization or merely espoused its radical beliefs. This spokesperson also denied a claim from a Britain-based monitoring group that the gunman was a security member. Ongoing US Presence in Syria The United States currently has a military presence deployed in eastern Syria as part of a broader coalition combating the ISIS militant group. Even after being militarily routed in Syria in 2019, the organization's sleeper cells still carry out lethal strikes. United Nations estimates suggest the group retains thousands of fighters in both Syria and Iraq. American forces have previously been attacked in the past. Among the deadliest previous attacks occurred in that year in the north, when an blast claimed the lives of two US service members and two American civilians, among additional casualties.