U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) issued a statement over the past hour mourning two Iowa National Guard members killed and three soldiers wounded in a terrorist attack near Palmyra, Syria, on December 13, 2025, according to an X post by ChadPergram quoting Ernst. "Please join me in praying for the families of these American heroes. Our Iowa National Guard family is hurting as we mourn the loss of two of our own and pray for the recovery of the three soldiers wounded," said Ernst. "These soldiers were carrying out a critical mission in combatting the threat of ISIS and keeping our homeland safe from the threat of radical Islamic terror. This tragic attack is a reminder that freedom is not free and that every American owes an enormous debt of gratitude to our brave men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line every day." The statement follows confirmation by U.S. Central Command of an ambush near Palmyra that killed two U.S. service members and one U.S. civilian interpreter while wounding three others, as referenced in Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Release No. 251 issued between 11:16 p.m. UTC on December 13 and 12:45 a.m. UTC on December 14. A U.S. official told Al-Monitor the gunman had worked for Syrian government-aligned forces and was under investigation by Damascus' Interior Ministry for alleged ISIS ties, according to reports shared in previous updates on the incident.
