Trump Pays Respect to 2 National Guardsmen Killed in Syria

The soldiers, members of the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, were ambushed by a lone ISIS terrorist, according to U.S. Central Command.

President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth salute as a U.S. Army carry team moves a flagged-draped transfer case containing the remains of Iowa National Guardsman Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Del., on Dec. 17, 2025. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

President Donald Trump met the plane carrying the bodies of two Iowa National Guardsmen killed in Palmyra, Syria, during a ceremony in Washington on Dec. 17.

The president stood solemnly with his head bowed, joined by military officials.

Trump saluted the soldiers’ remains as the coffins, adorned with American flags, were transferred from the C-17 aircraft to government vehicles.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House on Dec. 16 that Trump is weighing his options regarding a response to the killings.

Leavitt said that “because of President Trump’s policies in Syria, and beyond, the Middle East is growing to be a safer place every day.”

“If you look at how President Trump has embraced the Syrian president, removed sanctions from that country, and what happened, this absolute tragedy, that took place of our soldiers who were killed, that was largely because of the dereliction of duty from the last administration, and it reinforces President Trump’s policy in this country now,” she said.

Trump, who traveled to Dover several times in his first term, once described it as “the toughest thing” he has to do as president.

The two guardsmen killed in Syria on Dec. 13 were Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, according to the U.S. Army. Both were members of the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment. The men have been hailed as heroes by the Iowa National Guard.

A U.S. civilian working as an interpreter, identified on Dec. 16 as Ayad Mansoor Sakat of Macomb, Michigan, was also killed. Three other members of the Iowa National Guard were injured in the attack. The Pentagon has not identified them.

U.S. Central Command said the ambush was carried out by a lone ISIS terrorist. Trump said the three injured soldiers “seem to be doing pretty well.” The U.S. military said the gunman was killed in the attack, which also wounded members of Syria’s security forces.

“Their mission was in support of ongoing counter-ISIS / counter-terrorism operations in the region. Our hearts are with their families, loved ones and the Iowa National Guard during this time of profound sorrow,” Gen. Steven Nordhaus, head of the National Guard Bureau, said in a statement.

“We honor their courage and sacrifice, and we will never forget them or their service. We are also thinking of and praying for the families of the civilian interpreter who was killed, and the three other Guardsmen who were wounded. May God place his healing hand upon them.”

Over the weekend, Trump said that the United States would retaliate against the ISIS terrorist group, which took over areas across Syria and Iraq in the 2010s before a U.S.-led coalition pushed it out.

Several thousand American soldiers are still stationed in Syria to combat ISIS.

“This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them,” Trump said in a Dec. 13 post on Truth Social. “There will be very serious retaliation.”

He reiterated this promise of retaliation on Dec. 15, telling reporters at the White House that ISIS will “be hit hard.”

Trump also restated his support for Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, saying the nation’s government bears no blame for the deadly attack.

“This had nothing to do with him,” Trump said. “This is a part of Syria that they really don’t have much control over. And it was a surprise. He feels very badly about it. He’s working on it. He’s a strong man.”

Sharaa took control of Syria after the collapse of longtime Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s regime last year. The attack against U.S. forces was the first of its kind since Assad’s departure. Trump welcomed Sharaa to the White House last month.

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth wrote in a Dec. 13 post on X, “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.”

Jack Phillips and The Associated Press contributed to this report.