The Islamic State group gunman who killed three U.S. citizens in Syria over the weekend was a member of the country’s security forces.
The man, who was killed after murdering two Army soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter and injuring several additional American and Syrian military personnel stationed in Palmyra, was a “lone ISIS gunman,” U.S. officials said following the Saturday attack.
Officials have also confirmed that the gunman had joined Syria’s internal security forces as a base security guard two months earlier and was recently reassigned due to suspicions that he might be affiliated with the Islamic State group.
An evaluation last week found that the man held “extremist” views, and he had been slated for dismissal on Sunday, a day after the attack, Syrian interior ministry spokesman Nour al Din al Baba added during an interview broadcast on public television.
Al Baba alleged that the name of the attacker is Tarek Satouf al Hamdn, saying he worked as part of the Badia local security forces inside the local base where the Saturday attack took place, in comments to CBS News.
The two soldiers killed were National Guard members from Iowa. They were in Syria as part of the U.S. military presence in the eastern part of the country, which centers on counterterrorism operations in the region. The mission also involves the Syrian Armed Forces. The gunman was not part of the Syrian security forces stationed in Palmyra at the time of the attack, U.S. officials told the New York Times.
National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent called the shooting “an insider terrorist attack.”
In a Truth Social post vowing a U.S. response to the attack, President Donald Trump said it occurred in an area the new Syrian government, installed earlier this year after the fall of the Assad regime, does not “fully” control.
“This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them,” he wrote. “The president of Syria, Ahmed al Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious retaliation.”
On Monday, the two soldiers killed were identified as Sgts. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, and Edgar Torres-Tovar, 25. Both were members of the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment.
Maj. Gen. Stephen Osborn, adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard, said five Iowa National Guard troops were attacked. Two of the soldiers were in stable condition as of Monday. The third is in good condition.
“They were dedicated professionals and cherished members of our Guard family who represented the best of Iowa,” Osborn said.
