Syria proved again to be one of the most dangerous places on earth. On Saturday, December 13, two Iowa National Guard soldiers and a civilian interpreter were mercilessly gunned down while on a routine US-Syria combined patrol in the ruins of Palmyra. The town is located 134 miles northeast of Damascus in central Syria, bookended by the rugged Palmyrene mountain range. The area has long been an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) stronghold. Reports from the area observed that this was no random attack, but a well-thought-out and planned ambush designed to demonstrate that ISIS is still a force to be feared and capable of a deadly resurgence.
US and Syria Fight ISIS
On a foreign policy level, the attack is particularly troubling since the newly formed government of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa is doing a balancing act between attempting to reform the country and falling to the sectarian violence that is ever-present outside the capital. Al-Sharaa wants Syria to regain a prominent place in the Middle East. To help achieve this goal, US forces routinely join with the new Syrian Armed Forces and security organizations under al-Sharaa’s Ministry of Defense to seek out and engage ISIS fighters. The attack on US and Syrian security forces unfolded around midday. According to Al Jazeera, the lone ISIS gunman was wearing a Syrian security force uniform to blend in, and “A spokesperson for the Syrian Interior Ministry also told the television channel Al-Ikhbariah TV that the attacker did not have a leadership role in the country’s security forces. He did not say whether the man was a junior member.”
The incident occurred among allied counterparts while the combined patrol was participating in a key leader meeting at the local Palmyra Desert Security Headquarters. The Times of Israel reported: “Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the attack occurred as the soldiers ‘were conducting a key leader engagement’ in support of counter-terrorism operations, while US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said the ambush targeted ‘a joint US–Syrian government patrol.’”
Again, from The Times of Israel: “The incident is the first of its kind reported since Islamist-led forces overthrew longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December last year and rekindled the country’s ties with the United States.” To assist the fledgling Syrian government, the US maintains slightly fewer than 1,000 troops in Syria that are part of Operation Inherent Resolve, which is focused on counter-ISIS operations. The total reduction in US boots on the ground in Syria is in keeping with the Trump national security and foreign policy of a minimized footprint while still assisting the al-Sharaa government in dealing with ISIS.
During the meeting, the murderer stepped from the shadows and opened fire on the gathering. In the hail of bullets, the three Americans were killed, and another three American service members were wounded. Of the three wounded, two were transported to a hospital in Amman, Jordan, where they reportedly remain in critical condition but stable. The third was being treated at base. Some Syrian security forces troops were wounded as well, and the shooter was immediately killed.
President Trump Vows Retaliation
When the news hit the Pentagon, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, no stranger to military service, let his voice be heard. He posted on X: “The savage who perpetrated this attack was killed by partner forces. Let it be known, if you target Americans — anywhere in the world — you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you.”
In a shout-out interview on the White House lawn, on his way to attend the Army-Navy football game, President Trump commented on the attack. “We mourn the loss. These are great, three great people. And it’s just a terrible thing. Syria, by the way, was fighting along with us. The new president of Syria is…he’s devastated by what happened. This was an ISIS attack.”
One question posed by a reporter was: “Will the US retaliate against ISIS?” Trump lost no time responding, “Yeah, we will…We will retaliate.” The president added to these comments in a post on Truth Social, saying that “This was an ISIS attack against the US and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them. The President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be serious retaliation.” Just what form the president’s promised retaliation will take, however, has not yet been revealed.
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