U.S. officials have confirmed that the soldiers killed and wounded in a deadly ambush in Syria on Saturday were members of the Iowa National Guard. The attack happened in the central Syrian town of Palmyra when a gunman tied to the Islamic State opened fire on U.S. forces and their partners. Two Iowa National Guard soldiers and an American civilian translator were killed, and three other U.S. soldiers were wounded.
Preliminary information suggests the attacker was once part of Syrian government security forces before becoming connected to ISIS. He was not officially part of the delegation the U.S. and Syrian troops were escorting, so U.S. military officials do not consider this a “green on blue” incident.
U.S. Central Command confirmed the ambush and said the attack was carried out by a lone ISIS gunman. In response, President Donald Trump said there would be serious retaliation against the terrorist group and expressed sorrow for the loss of life.
Officials have not yet released the names of the fallen service members while next-of-kin notifications are underway. Three wounded soldiers are being treated, and their conditions vary.
These images are from official military sources showing Iowa National Guard soldiers on duty in Syria and related deployment activity. One of the photos comes from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), where many U.S. military photos are shared publicly.
What we know about the attack:
Two Iowa National Guard soldiers and one American civilian interpreter were killed during an ambush by an ISIS-linked gunman in Palmyra, Syria. Three other Guard members were wounded.
The soldiers were part of an ongoing U.S. counter-ISIS and counter-terrorism mission.
Their names have not yet been publicly released pending next-of-kin notifications.
The U.S. President said there will be serious retaliation against ISIS following the attack.
