Two United States Army soldiers and one civilian U.S. interpreter were killed, and three service members wounded, by a lone ISIS gunman during a key leader engagement in Palmyra, Syria, on December 13, 2025, the Pentagon confirmed in statements issued over the past hour between 4:17 PM and 5:16 PM UTC. The attack supported ongoing counter-ISIS and counter-terrorism operations in the region, with partner forces killing the gunman, according to SecWar on X (https://x.com/SecWar/status/1999882265355227392) and CENTCOM (https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/1999883271035822281). Identities of the soldiers and unit details are withheld until 24 hours after next-of-kin notification, and the incident is under active investigation, the statements said. SDF commander Mazloum Abdi expressed condolences for casualties among Syrian General Security (STG) personnel and U.S. soldiers in Palmyra, calling for greater national resolve against terrorism, as reported by @NotWoofers and WarFront Witness on Telegram during the reporting window. Reinforcements of U.S. forces arrived in Palmyra accompanied by jets and helicopters, amid a joint STG-U.S. patrol ambushed earlier today, according to @ScharoMaroof, with Tanf-FSA forces blocking roads but excluded from operations. This development follows geolocated footage and reports from earlier today of U.S. helicopters evacuating wounded from a joint U.S.-Syrian patrol ambushed near Palmyra at coordinates 34.49703, 38.23437, and a subsequent U.S. convoy touring the area with Syrian security.
