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ISIS Kills Two US Soldiers and an American Interpreter in Syria

BY Guy D. McCardle

Gunfire cracked a routine engagement into chaos outside Palmyra, killing two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter and proving that even stripped of territory, ISIS still knows how to reach out and draw blood.

American troops are shown here.in the city of Qamishli, Syria in early January, 2025. Image Credit: Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images

Gunfire on a “key leader engagement” in Palmyra

Two U.S. Army soldiers were killed Saturday, December 13, 2025, during a joint U.S.-Syrian patrol near Palmyra, Syria, after an ISIS gunman opened fire, according to the Pentagon and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). A U.S. civilian interpreter also died in the ambush. Three other U.S. service members were wounded, and Syrian personnel were also reported wounded. The attacker was killed by responding forces.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed the deaths and said the patrol was conducting a “key leader engagement” in support of counter-ISIS operations when the shooting began. Parnell said the names of the fallen and identifying unit information are being withheld pending next-of-kin notifications and follow-on timing requirements, and the incident remains under investigation.
CENTCOM described the attack as an ambush by a lone ISIS gunman and said the gunman was engaged and killed. Syrian state media reporting cited by U.S. outlets said U.S. helicopters evacuated casualties to the U.S. garrison at al-Tanf, near the borders with Iraq and Jordan.

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What is confirmed, and what is not

As of Saturday afternoon in U.S. reporting, officials have not publicly released the service members’ names, unit details, or the interpreter’s identity. The Pentagon has also not publicly released a detailed timeline, the exact location within the Palmyra area, or forensic specifics about how the attacker approached and fired. What is confirmed is the core outcome: three Americans killed (two soldiers and one civilian interpreter), three U.S. personnel wounded, and the attacker killed.
ISIS thrives on fog and friction. They have clearly not been wiped out. Clear facts deny propaganda oxygen, and right now the facts are limited by the realities of an active investigation and the obligations that come before headlines.

Why this hit lands hard right now

This attack is being framed by major outlets as a rare deadly strike on U.S. forces in Syria in the post-Assad period, as Washington has reduced its footprint and leaned harder on partner capacity. The U.S. has maintained at least several hundred troops in northeastern Syria for years to train and assist partner forces, while recent reporting and official statements have described reductions from earlier levels.
US Army Special Forces make up the core of troops in Syria.
CENTCOM has continued to describe ISIS as a persistent threat through sleeper networks even after the group’s 2019 territorial defeat. The United Nations has assessed that ISIS still has thousands of fighters across Syria and Iraq, with estimates commonly cited in the 5,000 to 7,000 range.

The wider arc: partnerships, politics, and the threat that stayed

Relations between Washington and Damascus have warmed under Syria’s interim leadership. Reporting from major U.S. broadcasters and public media describes Syria joining the anti-ISIS coalition, and interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited President Trump at the White House recently, part of a shift toward closer coordination against ISIS remnants.
Palmyra is not a headline location for most Americans, but it sits in a landscape where ISIS has repeatedly proven it can lose cities and still keep a steady trigger finger. The last widely remembered mass-casualty attack on U.S. personnel in Syria dates back to the January 2019 Manbij suicide bombing that killed American service members and civilians.
For now, the confirmed picture is brutally simple: a counter-ISIS patrol went out to do partner work, a gunman took his shot, three Americans did not come home, and the mission continues with names still withheld because the families have yet to be notified.
This is a developing story. Please check back with SOFREP for the latest details and updates.
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