IS Ambush Kills 2 US Soldiers And Interpreter In Central Syria's Palmyra

Palmyra: At least three Americans, including two United States soldiers, were killed in Syria after a lone Islamic State (IS) fighter ambushed the joint US-Syrian patrol team close to the ancient ruins of Palmyra on Saturday. The ambush left 2 US soldiers and an American civilian dead. Apart from the 3 dead, three others, including 2 US soldiers and a Syrian security officer, were injured in the sudden burst of gunfire. 

According to reports, the gunman was later shot dead by the responding forces, following the deadly attack. The victims were airlifted by helicopter to the al‑Tanf garrison, the US base that sits near the borders of Iraq and Jordan. The families of the deceased were notified, but the identities of the 2 soldiers have not been revealed.

The US Central Command confirmed the deaths of the three Americans and shared the details of the attack in a post on X, noting that the operation is under active investigation. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the civilian casualty was a US interpreter and that the assault targeted troops engaged in ongoing counter‑terrorism work. 

Syrian state news agency SANA reported that two Syrian security personnel and several Americans were wounded, while the Britain‑based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces. Syria’s Interior Ministry, however, said the gunman was linked to IS and opened fire at the gate of a military post, adding that the security forces were checking whether he was a former IS member or simply espoused its extremist ideology.

The strike comes at a critical moment for Syria, when the country has begun to re-engage with Western countries a year after the fall of former President Bashar Assad. Notably, last month, Syria joined the international coalition fighting IS, a move that followed the ouster of the Assad regime and the capture of Damascus by the opposition forces. The interim president, Ahmad al‑Sharaa, made a historic visit to Washington recently, meeting President Donald Trump and signalling to solidify the diplomatic ties that were absent for decades under Assad.

Although the Islamic State lost its territorial caliphate in Syria in 2019, the United Nations (UN) estimated that between 5000 and 7000 fighters remain active in Syria and Iraq, often operating through sleeper cells. The group continues to carry out deadly attacks, and the ambush near Palmyra raised serious concerns regarding the threat.

The last major attack on Americans in Syria occurred in 2019 in the northern town of Manbij, where a bomb killed 2 US soldiers and 2 American civilians while they were on patrol. The Manbij attack was one of the deadliest for US forces in the Syrian campaign.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X, saying, “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.” Notably, hundreds of US troops remain deployed in eastern and central Syria to train local forces and keep pressure on IS remnants.

Further details regarding the attack are likely to be released once the 24‑hour waiting period for notifying next of kin has elapsed.