Two US Army soldiers killed in Syria

Two U.S. Army soldiers and one civilian interpreter have been killed in an attack in Syria on this Saturday, according to the Department of Defense.

Another three have been wounded in the attack, Sean Parnell, chief spokesman for the Pentagon, said in a statement on X.

"The attack occurred as the soldiers were conducting a key leader engagement. Their mission was in support of ongoing counter-ISIS/counterterrorism operations in the region," Parnell wrote, adding that the names of those killed were being withheld until next of kin is notified.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth added that the attacker was killed by partner forces.

"Let it be known, if you target Americans - anywhere in the world - you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you," he wrote on X.

During a joint patrol with Syrian forces in central Syria, the U.S. soldiers suddenly came under fire. Traffic on the highway between Deir Ezzor and Damascus was halted in connection with the incident, and video showed U.S. combat aircraft overhead.

"U.S. helicopters intervened to evacuate the wounded to the al-Tanf base following the shooting incident," the national news agency SANA reported. Al-Tanf is a U.S. base in eastern Syria on the border with Iraq.