Two US soldiers, one civilian interpreter killed in Syria
By Eyad Kourdi, Natasha Bertrand
(CNN) — Two US Army soldiers and one civilian interpreter were killed in an attack in Syria on Saturday, according to the Department of Defense.
Three others were wounded in the attack, Sean Parnell, chief spokesman for the Pentagon, said in a statement on X.
“The attack occurred as the soldiers were conducting a key leader engagement. Their mission was in support of on-going counter-ISIS / counter-terrorism operations in the region,” Parnell wrote, adding that the names of those killed were being withheld until next of kin are notified.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the attacker 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,” he wrote on X.
The US soldiers came under fire during a joint patrol with Syrian forces in central Syria, according to the official national news agency SANA.
Traffic on the highway between Deir Ezzor and Damascus was halted in connection with the incident, and video showed US combat aircraft overhead.
“U.S. helicopters intervened to evacuate the wounded to the al-Tanf base following the shooting incident,” SANA reported. Al-Tanf is a US base in eastern Syria on the border with Iraq.
CNN has reached out to US Central Command for more information on the incident.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
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