Following an attack on US troops, the US has scrambled two F-16 fighter jets over Palmyra, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a senior US official.
According to the Pentagon, two US soldiers and an American civilian translator were killed in an attack near the Syrian city of Palmyra on December 13. Three more US soldiers were wounded.
US President Donald Trump called the incident “an attack by ISIS against the United States in a very dangerous part of Syria“. He threatened a “very severe response“ and added that Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara was “extremely angry and concerned“.
The attack occurred as soldiers were guarding a meeting between a U.S. lieutenant colonel and a representative of the Syrian Interior Ministry on the fight against ISIS, the source said.
According to the official, U.S. soldiers were guarding the meeting site along with Syrian troops. The attacker opened fire on the soldiers from a window, the source said. He said U.S. and Syrian forces returned fire, killing the attacker. Three Syrian security forces were also wounded in the clash. U.S. Central Command said the attack was carried out by a “lone ISIS fighter“.
The Pentagon said the attack took place in an area not controlled by the Syrian government. There are approximately 1,000 American troops in Syria, mostly in the eastern part of the country. Several bases have been closed or handed over to the Syrian Democratic Forces, The Wall Street Journal
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