The U.S. Army has identified the two soldiers killed in a deadly ambush in Syria on Dec. 13 as members of the Iowa National Guard. The White House has attributed the attack to a lone ISIS gunman.
Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, died in Palmyra, Syria, from injuries sustained during the attack, the Army said in a statement released Dec. 15. An American civilian interpreter was also kille
As CatholicVote previously reported, the ambush targeted a joint U.S.-Syrian patrol that was focused on counterterrorism operations in the area. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Dec. 13 that U.S. partner forces engaged and killed the attacker.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered flags across the state to be flown at half-staff until sunset on the day of the soldiers’ funerals.
“Sgt. Howard and Sgt. Torres-Tovar served our state and nation with honor, and in doing so, gave the ultimate sacrifice,” Reynolds said in a statement. “We are grateful for their service and deeply mourn their loss.”
Three other Iowa National Guard members were wounded in the attack. One soldier sustained “superficial” injuries and was treated at base, while the two others remain in stable but critical condition at a military hospital in Jordan, Iowa Capital Dispatch reported.
Meskwaki Nation Police Chief Jeffrey Bunn confirmed in a social media post late Dec. 13 that his son, Howard, was among those killed.
“My wife Misty and I had that visit from Army Commanders you never want to have,” Bunn wrote. “Our son Nate was one of the Soldiers that paid the ultimate sacrifice for all of us, to keep us all safer. He loved what he was doing and would be the first in and last out, no one left behind. Please pray for our Soldiers all around this cruel world.”
According to Reynold’s statement, about 1,800 Iowa Army National Guard soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, began deploying to the Middle East in late May to support “Operation Inherent Resolve,” the U.S.-led mission “to advise, assist, and enable partner forces in the enduring defeat of ISIS.”
Following the attack, President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa — who met with Trump at the White House in November — was “angry and disturbed by this attack.” Trump also vowed that there “will be very serious retaliation.”
Asked by reporters Dec. 13 whether the U.S. will retaliate against ISIS, Trump said, “Yeah, we will.”