Two US military personnel and a civilian interpreter were killed today in an Islamic State attack in Syria, near Palmyra, where they were conducting counterterrorism operations, the Department of Defense in Washington announced.
Three soldiers were wounded, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.
Defense Minister Pete Hegseth said the attacker was killed by "partner forces" - Syria.
Arab media reports that the attack was carried out by Islamic State forces and that there were also wounded Syrian soldiers who were on patrol with the Americans.
The UK-based non-governmental Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces.
Hundreds of American soldiers are in eastern Syria as part of an international coalition to counter the activities of the extremist group Islamic State, which briefly captured Palmyra, the scene of today's attack, exactly ten years ago.
American soldiers in Syria have been targeted before.
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