Both U.S. and Syrian officials are convinced that the assailant was affiliated with the extremist group ISIS. Local sources have reported to Reuters that the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces, although Syria’s interior ministry maintains he held no significant position within that structure.
During a press briefing outside the White House, President Donald Trump addressed the attack, insisting, “We will retaliate.”
The U.S. military has characterized the incident as an ambush by an ISIS fighter, who was subsequently killed in the exchange. The attack targeted a joint patrol that included both American and Syrian forces engaged in anti-terrorism operations, as confirmed by the Pentagon.
Details from the Pentagon reveal that two American soldiers and an American interpreter lost their lives in the assault, while three others sustained injuries. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took to the social media platform X to declare that the U.S. will pursue anyone who poses a threat to American personnel, vowing to “hunt, find and mercilessly kill” those responsible.
A spokesman for Syria’s Ministry of the Interior noted that there had been warnings regarding potential ISIS infiltration in the region where the attack occurred.