The U.S. Army on Monday identified two Iowa National Guard soldiers who were killed during an attack in Palmyra, Syria, while supporting ongoing counter-ISIS operations.

The soldiers were Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa. Both were killed Saturday while deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led mission to defeat the Islamic State group.

Torres-Tovar and Howard were assigned to 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division of the Iowa National Guard. The Army said the incident remains under investigation.

Pentagon officials confirmed that two U.S. Army soldiers and one civilian U.S. interpreter were killed in the attack, and three others were wounded. The service members were conducting a key leader engagement with local partners when an attacker opened fire, according to the Department of Defense.

A Pentagon official said the attack occurred in an area outside the control of Syria’s interim government and that initial assessments indicate it was likely carried out by ISIS.

Meskwaki Nation Police Chief Jeffrey Bunn identified one of the fallen soldiers as his son, Nate Howard, in a Facebook post Sunday. “Our son Nate was one of the Soldiers that paid the ultimate sacrifice for all of us, to keep us all safer,” Bunn wrote.

Following the attack, Syria’s Ministry of Interior said its forces, working with the General Intelligence Agency and international coalition partners, carried out a security operation in Palmyra that led to the arrest of five suspects, who were taken into custody for questioning.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that those responsible would face consequences. “There will be big damage done,” he said.

The deaths come amid continued U.S. and coalition operations against ISIS remnants in Syria. Operation Inherent Resolve was launched in 2014 to combat the militant group, which has since lost its territorial control but continues to carry out attacks in the region.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)