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Two US soldiers, interpreter killed in surprise militant attack in Syria’s Palmyra: CENTCOM

Saturday, 13 December 2025 7:21 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 13 December 2025 7:21 PM ]

US soldiers patrol in Syria's northeastern city Qamishli, in the Hasakeh province, mostly controlled by Kurdish-led and so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on January 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Two American troops and an interpreter have been killed and three other people wounded in Syria’s central province of Homs, after a suspected member of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group opened fire on a joint patrol by the US military and forces from the ruling Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) regime in the area.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the casualties in a post on the social media platform X on Saturday.

“An ambush by a lone ISIS (Daesh) gunman” resulted in the deaths and injuries to three additional troops, CENTCOM said. “The gunman was engaged and killed.”

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X that “the savage who perpetrated this attack was killed by partner forces.”

Today in Palmyra, Syria, two United States Army soldiers and one civilian U.S. interpreter were killed, and three were wounded.

The attack occurred as the soldiers were conducting a key leader engagement. Their mission was in support of on-going counter-ISIS / counter-terrorism…
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) December 13, 2025

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the attack occurred as the soldiers “were conducting a key leader engagement” in support of what he described as counter-terrorism operations.

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A Pentagon official said the attack took place in an area where HTS forces do not have control.

Earlier, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that an attack in the city of Palmyra had wounded American troops and HTS forces.

The soldiers were taking part in a “joint field tour” in Palmyra, which was once under the control of Daesh, SANA reported.

A Syrian source, who requested anonymity, said that the shots were fired “during a meeting” between American officers and HTS forces at a Syrian base in Palmyra.

A witness, who asked to remain anonymous, said he heard the shots coming from inside the base.

SANA said helicopters evacuated the wounded to the al-Tanf garrison near the border with Iraq and Jordan, where American troops are deployed.

According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the meeting came as part of an “American strategy to strengthen its presence and foothold in the Syrian desert.”

Former Syrian authorities consistently said that the deployment of US forces and equipment in the northeastern flank of the country was meant to plunder natural resources.

In recent years, footage has emerged showing US occupation forces using tankers to transfer Syrian crude oil from the country’s northern provinces to bases in northern Iraq.

US President Donald Trump has acknowledged multiple times that American troops were present in the Arab nation for its oil resources.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir