Shooting Wounds Syrian and U.S. Troops in Palmyra
Several Syrian and American troops were wounded in a shooting targeting a joint military patrol in the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria on Saturday, marking the first such incident since the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad last December.
State-run Syrian news agency SANA reported that the assailant opened fire on the delegation, which included members of Syrian security forces and U.S. service members conducting a routine patrol in the area. Two Syrian personnel and several U.S. troops sustained injuries, according to a security source cited by SANA. The attacker was killed at the scene, though no motive was immediately disclosed. Helicopters airlifted the wounded to the Al-Tanf base in southern Syria, near the borders with Iraq and Jordan, where U.S. forces maintain a garrison.
A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed awareness of the reports but provided no further details. The Pentagon had no immediate comment. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, reported at least three people wounded and noted that the shooter was reportedly a member of the Syrian security forces, though this detail...