2 U.S. soldiers, civilian killed in "ambush" in Syria, military officials say

Two U.S. Army soldiers and a U.S. civilian who was serving arsenic an interpreter were killed aft shots were fired astatine U.S. and Syrian forces during a sojourn to a historical cardinal municipality successful Syria connected Saturday, U.S. subject officials said.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said successful a station connected X that the onslaught occurred arsenic the soldiers were conducting a "key person engagement." He said 3 different work members were injured successful the incident.

"Their ngo was successful enactment of on-going counter-ISIS / counter-terrorism operations successful the region," helium said, adding that the soldiers' names, arsenic good arsenic identifying accusation astir their units, volition beryllium withheld until 24 hours aft the adjacent of kin notification. "This onslaught is presently nether progressive investigation."

U.S. Central Command said the onslaught was a "result of an ambush by a lone ISIS gunman successful Syria," and that the "gunman was engaged and killed."

The U.S. has hundreds of troops deployed successful eastbound Syria arsenic portion of a conjugation warring the Islamic State group.

Last month, Syria joined the planetary conjugation warring against ISIS arsenic Damascus improved its relations with Western countries pursuing past year's autumn of President Bashar al-Assad when insurgents captured his spot of powerfulness successful Damascus.

The U.S. had nary diplomatic relations with Syria nether Assad, but ties person warmed since the autumn of the five-decade Assad household rule. The interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, made a historic visit to Washington past month, wherever helium held talks with President Trump.

ISIS was defeated successful Syria successful 2019 but the group's sleeper cells inactive transportation retired deadly attacks successful the country. The United Nations says the radical inactive has betwixt 5,000 and 7,000 fighters successful Syria and Iraq.

U.S. troops, which person maintained a beingness successful antithetic parts of Syria — including Al-Tanf garrison successful the cardinal state of Homs — to bid different forces arsenic portion of a wide run against IS, person been targeted successful the past. One of the deadliest attacks occurred successful 2019 successful the bluish municipality of Manbij erstwhile a blast killed 2 U.S. work members and 2 American civilians, arsenic good arsenic others from Syria, portion conducting a patrol.

Eleanor Watson and Omar Abdulkader contributed to this report.

• Syria