Syria (Washington Insider) - On December 13, 2025, 2 U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed and 3 wounded in Palmyra, Syria. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the ISIS-linked attacker was killed.
As Reuters reported, on Saturday, December 13, 2025, U.S. forces were attacked in Palmyra, central Syria, a region known for conflict and strategic importance. The attack killed 2 U.S. Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter. 3 other American soldiers were injured, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.
The team was on a key leader engagement mission with local partner forces. They were working to improve security and fight remaining Islamic State fighters. The attacker, linked to ISIS, was killed by local partner forces. Helicopters evacuated the wounded to U.S. military bases.
What risks do U.S. forces face from ISIS in Syria after deadly attack?
In 2015, U.S. troops were deployed to Syria to assist in combating ISIS. The deployment of U.S. troops came in response to ISIS's confusing hold on large parts of both Syria and Iraq. In response, the U.S. partnered with local forces to expel ISIS from cities (including Raqqa) via military operations that successfully took control of them by the middle of 2019. However, after being expelled from those cities, some ISIS members fled and continued their operations in secret.
Subsequent to ISIS's expulsion, U.S. military personnel remained in eastern and central Syria to support the training and development of local Syrian forces, execute counter-terrorist operations against remnants of ISIS, and protect the detention facilities being operated by the SDF that housed captured ISIS fighters. By the end of 2025, it was estimated that approximately 2,000 U.S. Military personnel remained in Syria (though many of the bases originally established had been eliminated or significantly reduced and responsibility for operations were transitioned to local partnered forces).