Two U.S. soldiers and an American civilian interpreter were killed last Saturday, December 13, in an ISIS attack near Palmyra, Syria, with three other U.S. soldiers wounded.
Qatar has strongly condemned a deadly attack that targeted a joint United States-Syrian patrol near the historic city of Plamyra in central Syria, an incident that resulted in fatalities and multiple injuries and has raised fresh concerns about security conditions in the country’s desert regions.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Doha reaffirmed its principled and consistent stance against violence and extremism.
The Ministry said it “reaffirms the State of Qatar’s firm and unwavering position in rejecting violence, terrorism, and criminal acts in all their forms, regardless of motives or justifications”.
Qatar also offered condolences to those affected by the attack and reaffirmed its solidarity with the U.S. and Syria.
The Ministry conveyed “the State of Qatar’s condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the governments and peoples of the United States of America and the Syrian Arab Republic, and wishes the injured a speedy recovery”.
The ambush took place near Palmyra on Saturday, December 13, in Syria’s central Homs province. According to U.S. Central Command (Centcom), two U.S. service members and one U.S. civilian were killed, and three service members were injured. The gunman was engaged and killed.
U.S. President Donald Trump held ISIL, also known as ISIS, responsible as investigations continue.
On his Truth Social platform, he confirmed that the injured U.S. soldiers are doing well, adding that it “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”.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also wrote on social media, “The savage who perpetrated this attack was killed by partner forces. 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”.
While U.S. officials initially characterised the attack as an ambush carried out by a lone ISIL gunman, the attacker’s identity remains unconfirmed.
Syrian state media SANA reported that both U.S. and Syrian troops came under fire during a joint patrol, and American helicopters intervened to evacuate the wounded after the shooting incident.
As investigations continue, the attack is the first to cause American casualties since the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad a year ago, a political turning point that led to a gradual re-engagement between Damascus and Washington.
