Name: Details on attack in Syria that killed 2 U.S. soldiers
Uploaded: 2025-12-16T00:54:53.218Z
Duration: 2 min 42 s
Description: Two members of the Iowa National Guard, along with a civilian interpreter, were killed in what the Pentagon called an ambush attack by an ISIS gunman over the weekend.

Two members of the Iowa National Guard, along with a civilian interpreter, were killed in what the Pentagon called an ambush attack by an ISIS gunman over the weekend.

Palmyra

Two members of the Iowa National Guard, Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard and Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres Tovar, were killed alongside U.S. citizen interpreter Ayad Saqqat in an attack by an ISIS gunman in Palmyra, Syria. The incident occurred during a leadership engagement with local partners as part of ongoing counter-ISIS operations, also injuring three other soldiers.

The Pentagon reports that approximately 1,000 U.S. service members remain in Syria, primarily to prevent an ISIS resurgence and monitor regional threats. The attack, believed to be an infiltration by an ISIS sympathizer already suspected of extremist views, has raised concerns about vetting procedures for local partners.

Details on attack in Syria that killed 2 U.S. soldiers

We now know the identities of the two members of the Iowa National Guard who were killed in a weekend attack in Syria. The Army has identified them as 29-year-old Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard of Marshalltown and 25-year-old Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres Tovar of Des Moines. A civilian interpreter was also killed in the attack. Their identity has not been released. Joining us now is CBS News senior national security correspondent Charlie Daggett. Charlie, what do we know about how this attack unfolded and who these service members are? Hey, Lindsey. So, we know that five Iowa National Guard soldiers were attacked, and all the two young men who were killed, two more are in stable condition. The third is listed in good condition. And now we do have the identity of the interpreter, a U.S. citizen, Ayad Saqqat, who is originally from Iraq, who worked with U.S. forces there before coming to the United States and getting his U.S. citizenship. So, U.S. officials that we spoke to say the attack happened on Saturday morning, when an ISIS gunman opened fire on the soldiers, the interpreter and Syrian security forces during what they call a key leadership engagement with local partners in support of this ongoing counter-ISIS operations. So, it took place in the central city of Palmyra, which was under control of ISIS during the height of the so-called caliphate. They even held public executions there. And it's a region where ISIS cells are still thought to be operating. There's between 5,000 and 7,000 suspected ISIS operatives in that region. The Pentagon says that the U.S. has about 1,000 service members in Syria right now. I know the president was also asked about this today, but can you just tell us what their role is? Yeah, so, officially, their role is to make sure that ISIS doesn't make a comeback. But I have to say, the situation on the ground has changed drastically since the new Syrian leadership of President Ahmed al-Shara has taken over from the Assad regime, because that's been going on since 2015. And those are largely U.S. special forces, partnered with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who I embedded with during the ultimate defeat of ISIS. But forces are also there to keep an eye on Iran and to keep the flow of weapons from Iran to terrorist groups like Hezbollah. But that's all changed now. U.S. forces that are partnered now with Syrian security forces, and this apparently is an infiltration or by an ISIS operative or an ISIS sympathizer, and that raises serious questions about vetting, especially as it's come to light that the gunman was already suspected of having extremist views. And that puts U.S. soldiers, especially like National Guard, who may not have the kind of training and equipment of special operations forces, potentially in harm's way. OK, Charlie Daggett, thank you.

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