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A fatal ambush in the heart of Syria on Saturday morning resulted in the deaths of two US army soldiers and one American civilian interpreter, with several other people injured, according to the Pentagon.

The assault on American forces in the ancient city of Palmyra represents the initial incident to cause fatalities following the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad roughly a year ago.

"This assault took place while the service members were conducting a high-level meeting," an official said. "The operation was in aid of on-going anti-ISIS / anti-terror operations in the area."

The assailant responsible for the shooting was killed by allied troops, according to a declaration from the US defense secretary.

Specifics Kept Private For Privacy

Central Command indicated that, to respect the privacy for the loved ones and in line with policy, the names of the deceased personnel will not be released until 24 hours after their next of kin have been informed.

Earlier reports from Syrian state media and a war monitor stated that gunfire erupted during a tour by American troops to the area of Tadmur.

Varying Accounts Surface

According to a state-run news agency, a pair of local security forces and several US service members were wounded in the incident. The injured were allegedly evacuated by helicopters to a garrison near the frontier with neighboring countries.

An official for the Syrian government claimed a shooter linked to Islamic State opened fire at the gate of a army position. Authorities are investigating whether the individual was a card-carrying member of the organization or merely espoused its extreme ideology.

The official also denied a claim from a UK-based rights group that the attacker was a security member.

Ongoing US Presence in the Region

The US maintains a military presence deployed in eastern Syria as part of a broader coalition fighting the Islamic State.

Despite being militarily routed in Syria in recent years, the group's sleeper cells still execute deadly attacks. UN assessments indicate the group retains thousands of militants in both Syria and Iraq.

American forces have been attacked in the before. One of the deadliest prior incidents occurred in 2019 in northern Syria, when an blast claimed the lives of two US service members and US civilians, among additional casualties.