By Reena Bhardwaj
Washington, Dec. 14 (ANI) — President Donald Trump on Saturday pledged strong retaliation after an ISIS gunman ambushed and killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Syria, calling the attack an assault on both the United States and Syria.
Speaking at the White House, Trump described the three dead as ‘great patriots’ and said the nation mourns their loss. When asked if the U.S. would respond, he replied simply, ‘Yes, we will retaliate.’ He reiterated on his social media platform that ‘there will be very serious retaliation’ and offered prayers for three other soldiers wounded in the attack, saying they were reported to be doing well.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Dec. 13 shooting occurred during counterterrorism operations near Palmyra. The lone attacker was engaged and killed by U.S. and partner forces. Three additional U.S. service members were wounded and are recovering. CENTCOM said the identities of the deceased will be withheld for 24 hours pending notification of next of kin.
Trump said Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, was ‘extremely angry and disturbed’ by the incident, which took place in a part of Syria the president described as highly dangerous and not fully under government control. The United States currently has about 900 troops in Syria as part of efforts against Islamic State militants.
The shooting occurred weeks after al-Sharaa visited the White House. Al-Sharaa, who became interim president following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government last year, previously had his global terrorist designation lifted by Trump before their meeting. The report noted al-Sharaa is a former al-Qaeda member who was once detained by U.S. forces in Iraq.
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