Three Americans Fatally Wounded in Syria by Suspected ISIS Gunman, Pentagon Reports

A fatal attack in central Syria on Saturday morning resulted in the deaths of two US army soldiers and one American civilian interpreter, with a number of others wounded, as stated by the Pentagon.

This offensive on American forces in the ancient town of Palmyra represents the first incident to inflict casualties following the fall of ex-leader Bashar al-Assad approximately a year ago.

"The attack occurred as the soldiers were carrying out a key leader engagement," an official said. "The operation was in aid of on-going counter-ISIS / counter-terrorism missions in the region."

The attacker responsible for the shooting was killed by partner forces, according to a declaration from the Secretary of Defense.

Specifics Kept Private For Privacy

Central Command noted that, as a matter of respect for the loved ones and in line with policy, the identities of the deceased personnel will be withheld until a full day after their next of kin have been notified.

Earlier reports from local news agencies and a conflict observatory stated that shots rang out during a tour by American troops to the area of Tadmur.

Conflicting Accounts Emerge

According to a state-run news agency, a pair of local security forces and several US service members were injured in the incident. The injured were reportedly transported by aircraft to a military base near the frontier with neighboring countries.

A spokesperson for the Syrian government claimed a shooter linked to Islamic State opened fire at the entrance of a military post. Authorities are looking into whether the individual was a card-carrying member of the group or simply espoused its extreme ideology.

The official further denied a report from a UK-based monitoring group that the gunman was a member of the security forces.

Ongoing American Deployment in the Region

The US currently has hundreds of troops deployed in eastern Syria as a component of a multinational alliance combating the Islamic State.

Even after being militarily routed in the country in recent years, the organization's sleeper cells continue to execute deadly attacks. UN estimates indicate the group retains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.

US troops have previously been targeted in the before. Among the deadliest previous attacks took place in 2019 in northern Syria, when an blast killed two US service members and two American civilians, among others.