Three Americans killed by IS gunman in Syria, US military says

 

US and Syrian forces were ambushed in Palmyra in central Syria(Image: Getty Image)

Two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter have been killed in Syria in an ambush by an Islamic State gunman, the US Central Command has said.

 Officials said three other service members were injured in the attack, during which the gunman was "engaged and killed".

 US President Donald Trump wrote on social media that it was "an ISIS attack" against the US and Syria and said there would be "a very serious retaliation".

 The US Central Command stated that the identities of the deceased will be withheld for a period of 24 hours until their kin have been informed. In a post on X, the US Central Command said the attack was "the result of an ambush by a lone ISIS gunman", while a Pentagon official said initial assessments showed the attack was "likely" to be carried out by the Islamic State group.

 The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attacker was a member of the Syrian security force.

 No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the identity of the gunman has not been released.

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 According to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, the soldiers were "conducting a key leader engagement" when they were ambushed in Palmyra, which is in the center of the country. "This attack took place in an area where the Syrian president does not have control," stated a Pentagon official. In addition, Trump stated that the three wounded US soldiers were "doing well." Two Syrian service members had also been hurt, according to state media in Syria. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said: "Let it be known, if you target Americans - anywhere in the world you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you."

 Syria has pledged to work with the United States and join an international coalition fighting IS. Last month, President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Donald Trump at the White House in a visit that the Syrian leader said was part of a "new era" for the two countries.

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 The global coalition aims to stop foreign militants from entering the Middle East and eliminate the remaining elements of the so-called Islamic State. "I strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist ambush targeting a joint US–Syrian government patrol in central Syria," stated Tom Barrack, who is also the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria. "We remain committed to defeating terrorism with our Syrian partners."

Source: BBC