The Military on Monday recognized the 2 American troopers who have been killed in Palmyra, Syria, over the weekend as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa. Each have been members of the Iowa Nationwide Guard.
A civilian interpreter was additionally killed within the assault. The Pentagon mentioned an ISIS gunman ambushed the 2 guardsmen and the interpreter in Saturday’s assault.
In a press release, Iowa’s Gov. Kim Reynolds wrote, “Sgt. Howard and Sgt. Torres-Tovar served our state and nation with honor, and in doing so, gave the last word sacrifice. We’re grateful for his or her service and deeply mourn their loss.”
Reynolds ordered flags throughout Iowa to instantly be flown at half-staff till sundown on the day of their funerals.
Iowa Nationwide Guard through AP
Torres-Tovar, Howard and the interpreter have been killed whereas they have been supporting a “key chief engagement” as a part of the counter-ISIS mission, in keeping with Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell. Three U.S. service members have been injured within the assault, and the gunman was killed.
A Pentagon official says the U.S. at present has about 1,000 U.S. forces in Syria to counter ISIS.
In a social media submit after the assault, President Trump vowed “very severe retaliation.”
In remarks to reporters earlier than leaving the White Home for the Military-Navy soccer sport Saturday, Mr. Trump mentioned, “We mourn the lack of three nice patriots in Syria. You understand how it occurred — it was an ambush, horrible. We even have three wounded. They appear to be doing fairly nicely, however we mourn the loss.”
These are the primary U.S. troop deaths in Syria for the reason that fall of President Bashar Al Assad final yr. President Trump mentioned Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is “devastated by what occurred — this was an ISIS assault on us and Syria.”
