Washington: Two of the three people killed in an attack by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Syria have been identified as US military officers. The attack took place over the weekend in Palmyra, Syria.
The Army said on Monday that the terrorist group’s attack killed two US soldiers, Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa. Both were members of the Iowa National Guard.
According to CBS News report, an interpreter was also killed in the attack. In Saturday’s attack, an ISIS gunman ambushed two soldiers and an interpreter, the Pentagon said. “Sergeant Howard and Sergeant Torres-Tovar made the ultimate sacrifice for the honor of the nation. We are grateful for their service and deeply mourn their loss,” Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds wrote on social media.
According to Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, three other US soldiers were injured in the attack and the attacker was killed. A Pentagon official says there are currently about 1,000 US troops in Syria to combat ISIS.
President Trump promised “very serious retaliation” in a social media post following the attack. Speaking to reporters before leaving the White House for Saturday’s Army-Navy football game, Trump said, “We mourn the loss of three great patriots in Syria.”
This is the first attack on US troops in Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last year. President Trump said that Syria’s new President Ahmed al-Shara is hurt by this attack. It is noteworthy that ISIS has been active in Syria since June 2014.
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