Two American soldiers and a US civilian interpreter were killed in Syria in an ambush by an Islamic State militant, US Central Command said.
Officials said three other soldiers were wounded in the attack, during which the shooter was “struck and killed.”
In a report on X, U.S. Central Command said the attack was “the result of an ambush carried out by a lone ISIS fighter,” and a Pentagon spokesman said initial assessments indicated the attack was likely carried out by the Islamic State group.
The identities of those killed will not be released for 24 hours until their next of kin are notified, US Central Command said.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said: “Let it be known that if you target Americans, anywhere in the world you will spend the rest of your short, troubling life knowing that the United States will hunt you, find you and kill you mercilessly.”
The ambush took place in Palmyra, located in the center of the country, while soldiers were “engaged in a key battle,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.
A Pentagon spokesman said: “This attack occurred in an area that is not under the control of the Syrian president.”
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces.
Syrian state news reported that two Syrian soldiers were also injured.
Syria recently joined the international coalition to fight ISIS and has promised to cooperate with the United States.
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.
The global coalition aims to eliminate the remaining elements of the so-called Islamic State and stop the flow of foreign fighters into the Middle East.
Tom Barrack, US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria, said: “I strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist ambush that targeted a joint US-Syrian government patrol in central Syria.
“We remain committed to defeating terrorism together with our Syrian partners.”
