Three Americans lost their lives when a convoy of American and Syrian forces was attacked during a mission aimed at combating ISIS in Syria.

On Saturday, a Pentagon representative confirmed the fatalities, reporting that two soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in Palmyra, while three others sustained injuries.

This convoy was stationed in the ancient city as part of an ongoing campaign against ISIS in the area.

The official statement noted that the assault took place while the troops were involved in a strategic meeting with local leaders.

Their operation was a component of the continuing efforts to counter ISIS and terrorism in the region.

‘The soldiers’ names, as well as identifying information about their units, are being withheld until 24 hours after the next of kin notification. This attack is currently under active investigation.’

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said: ‘The savage who perpetrated this attack 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.’

U.S. military convoy drives near the town of Qamishli, north Syria, Saturday, Oct. 26. 2019

As of June, the US had around 1,500 troops left on the ground in the country following a series of withdrawals

According to the state-run SANA news agency those that were injured were rushed by helicopters to the Tanf garrison near the border with Iraq and Jordan.

SANA said the attacker was killed, without providing further details.

The U.S. has hundreds of troops deployed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

IS was defeated in Syria in 2019, but the group’s sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks in the country.

U.S. troops have maintained a presence in different parts of Syria including Al-Tanf garrison in the central province of Homs to train other forces as part of a broad campaign against IS.

As of June, the US had around 1,500 troops left on the ground in the country following a series of withdrawals. The number is expected to drop again by the end of the year. 

The shooting on Saturday comes just over a year after former President Bashar Al-Assad fled office and departed the country, he is said to be living in Moscow, Russia. 

Syrians stormed al-Assad’s presidential palace in Damascus last December as rebels declared that the country was ‘free’ from the ‘tyrant’. 

Hegseth posted on social media after the deaths of the three were announced vowing to hunt down and kill anyone who targets Americans

The shooting on Saturday comes just over a year after former President Bashar Al-Assad, seen here, fled office and departed the country

A civil war erupted in 2011 with the Assad government’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests. The war killed more than half a million people and displaced millions.

Tens of thousands of people are still missing, many after disappearing into the former government’s prisons, with families awaiting justice for Assad-era atrocities.

President Donald Trump met with the country’s new leader, President Ahmed al-Sharaa, earlier this year in a trip to Saudi Arabia before welcoming him to the White House last month. 

The sitdown in May was the first encounter between American and Syrian leaders in 25 years. 

Sharaa, 43, is a former al-Qaeda commander who until recently was sanctioned by Washington DC as a ‘specially designated global terrorist.’ 

The Saudi-born leader joined the terror group in Iraq just before the US invasion in 2003. He was captured by American forces and imprisoned for five years until 2011.

An opponent of longtime Syrian president Assad, Sharaa launched an 11-day attack against his regime in November 2024, triggering the collapse of the government.

Trump, left, shakes hands with Syria’s President Ahmad al-Sharaa, at the White House in Washington on November 10 

People celebrate at Umayyad Square in Damascus on December 8, 2024, as rebel soldiers declared that they had taken the capital

Assad fled to Russia, while Sharaa assumed power and was appointed officially on January 29.

Sharaa has since traveled the world trying to depict himself as a moderate leader who wants to unify his war-ravaged nation and end its decades-long international isolation. 

He has described his wife, Latifa al-Droubi, 41, as a key support for him over the last decade.

Speaking with reporters, Trump praised Sharaa as a ‘strong leader’ and voiced confidence in him. ‘We’ll do everything we can to make Syria successful,’ he said.

But Trump also gave a nod to Sharaa’s controversial history. ‘We’ve all had rough pasts,’ he said.