December 14, 2025 | 05:28 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to seek revenge against the terrorist group ISIS for killing two U.S. soldiers and a civilian translator. The three were killed in a sudden attack in central Syria.
An investigation is underway to determine whether the attackers are linked to ISIS. However, Trump has blamed the armed group that seized territory across Syria and Iraq in 2014.
Quoted from Al Jazeera, the attack on the U.S. forces is the first lethal attack since the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a year ago. Three U.S. military members were injured in the attack, as well as at least two Syrian soldiers, according to government and media reports.
Trump stated in a social media post that he had received news that the injured U.S. soldiers are in good condition. However, he warned that there would be serious consequences for what he referred to as the ISIS attack.
"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," Trump said. "The President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious retaliation."
Trump reinforced the statement made by Defense Minister Pete Hegseth, who also pledged to take decisive action against anyone who attacks U.S. military personnel. "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," Hegseth wrote on social media.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) was the first to announce the Saturday attack. The attack was described as being carried out suddenly by a lone ISIS member. The assailant was then engaged in a gunfight and killed. Later, Hegseth said that the assailant had been killed by allied forces.
CENTCOM announced the death of the U.S. soldiers after Syrian government media previously reported that an attack in the city of Palmyra had injured American and Syrian forces. "An ambush by a lone ISIS gunman” resulted in the deaths and injuries to three additional troops," said CENTCOM, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East, as reported by Al Arabiya. "The gunman was engaged and killed."
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the attack occurred when the soldiers were meeting with key leaders to support counter-terrorism operations. A Pentagon official said the attack took place in an area where the Syrian President does not have control.
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