Donald Trump has vowed the “US will retaliate” after three Americans were killed during a suspected Isis attack in Syria.
Two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter were shot dead in the assault, which targeted a joint convoy of American and Syrian forces.
Three others are understood to be injured in the as-yet unclaimed attack.
In a statement, Central Command said the attack by the lone gunman occurred “as the soldiers were conducting a key leader engagement” in the Syrian town of Palmyra.
Speaking to reporters as he left the White House on Saturday, the President said: “So we mourn the loss of three great patriots in Syria. You know how it happened, in an ambush. Terrible.
“We also have three wounded that seem to be doing pretty well. But we mourn the loss – these are great, three great people – and just a terrible thing.
“Syria, by the way, was fighting along with us. The president, the new president of Syria is, as they told me and I’m not surprised, he’s devastated by what happened.
“This was an Isis attack on us and Syria. And again, we mourn the loss and we pray for them and their parents and their loved ones. Very, very sad.”
Donald Trump attributed the attack to Isis
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REUTERS
When asked about revenge for the attack, Mr Trump said: “We will retaliate.”
The soldiers’ names will be withheld until 24 hours after the next-of-kin notification, the US military said.
It is understood the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces.
A spokesman for the country’s Interior Ministry said the man did not have a leadership role in the security forces.
When asked about revenge for the attack, Mr Trump said: ‘We will retaliate’
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REUTERS
“On December 10, an evaluation was issued indicating that this attacker might hold extremist ideas, and a decision regarding him was due to be issued tomorrow, on Sunday,” the spokesman, Noureddine el-Baba, told Syrian television channel Al-Ikhbariya.
American military personnel responding to the ambush successfully engaged the hostile gunman, with “partner forces” killing the attacker, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed.
As of Saturday evening, no organisation has come forward to claim responsibility for the deadly assault.
The identity of the gunman who carried out the attack is also not yet known.
Mr el-Baba said Syria had warned about the possibility of an Isis attack in the region but “coalition forces did not take the Syrian warnings into account”.
He added Syria would determine whether the attacker was linked to Isis or merely subscribed to the group’s ideology.
Islamic State, also known as Isis or IS, has been significantly diminished in Syria but continues to maintain a presence in certain areas of the country.
Small-scale attacks against coalition forces have periodically occurred despite the group’s territorial losses.
American forces remain deployed in Syria as part of ongoing operations against Isis remnants in the region.
