US President Donald Trump warned on Saturday of 'very serious retaliation' after three Americans - two soldiers and a civilian - were killed in an ambush in Syria. The Republican leader blamed the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) for the ambush and said the attack has also left his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa 'extremely angry'.
"We mourn the loss of three Great American Patriots in Syria, two soldiers, and one Civilian Interpreter," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Likewise, we pray for the three injured soldiers who, it has just been confirmed, are doing well."
"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. The President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious retaliation. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" he added.
According to the US military, the attack was conducted by a lone ISIS militant. It also left three other servicemen injured, who according to Trump are "doing pretty well". The attacker, meanwhile, was neutralised by the US forces. Notably, this was the first attack on American soldiers in Syria that saw fatalities following the fall of Bashar Assad.
The IS militant had opened fire at the gate of the military base, killing the two soldiers who were involved in counter-terrorism operations in the region, Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said. Talking about the civilian, he was working as an interpreter with the US military.
The Syrian military said the attack also left some of its soldiers wounded. It said it is investigating whether the gunman was an IS member or only carried its extreme ideology. Currently, hundreds of US troops are deployed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition against the ISIS.