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2mo ago

Trump to Attend Dover Transfer for Iowa Guardsmen Killed in Syria Ambush

Investigators are examining Syrian claims that the attacker had infiltrated local security forces.

Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, left, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard.
Members of the military salute during a dignified transfer of the remains of two Iowa National Guard members killed in Syria, Sgt. Edgar Torres Tovar and Sgt. William Howard, and Ayad Mansoor Sakat, of Macomb, Michigan, who was working as an interpreter in Syria, at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, on Dec. 17, 2025.
A U.S. military convoy drives along a road in northeastern Syria’s Hasakeh province, Jan. 30, 2025 (AP photo by Bernat Armangue).
President Donald Trump speaks during a Mexican Border Defense Medal presentation in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Overview

  • The Army identified the fallen as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, both with the Iowa National Guard; family and obituary reports named the U.S. interpreter as Ayad Mansoor Sakat, 54.
  • U.S. officials said a lone ISIS gunman opened fire during a key leader engagement near Palmyra; partner forces killed the attacker.
  • Three U.S. service members were wounded, with two evacuated to a military hospital in Jordan and described as stable in critical condition and a third treated for superficial injuries.
  • Syria’s Interior Ministry said five suspects were arrested and asserted the shooter had recently served as a base security guard flagged for extremist views, claims U.S. officials are reviewing.
  • President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth pledged retaliation, and a dignified transfer for the two soldiers was scheduled at Dover Air Force Base with the president in attendance.