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A fatal ambush in central Syria on Saturday morning led to the deaths of a pair of American troops and one American civilian interpreter, with a number of others wounded, according to the Pentagon.

The assault on American forces in the historic city of Palmyra marks the first event to cause fatalities following the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad roughly a year ago.

"The attack occurred as the soldiers were carrying out a high-level meeting," an official stated. "Their mission was in aid of ongoing counter-ISIS / anti-terror missions in the area."

The attacker responsible for the gunfire was killed by partner forces, according to a declaration from the US defense secretary.

Details Withheld Out of Respect

Central Command indicated that, to respect the privacy for the families and in accordance with policy, the identities of the fallen service members will be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been informed.

Earlier reports from local news agencies and a war monitor said that shots rang out during a visit by American troops to the area of Tadmur.

Conflicting Accounts Surface

According to a state-run media outlet, a pair of Syria's security force and a number of US service members were wounded in the exchange. Those hurt were allegedly evacuated by aircraft to a military base near the border with neighboring countries.

An official for Syria's interior ministry claimed a shooter linked to Islamic State opened fire at the entrance of a army position. Officials are investigating whether the individual was a card-carrying member of the organization or merely espoused its extreme ideology.

This spokesperson further denied a report from a Britain-based monitoring group that the gunman was a member of the security forces.

Ongoing US Presence in Syria

The US currently has a military presence deployed in eastern Syria as a component of a multinational alliance combating the ISIS militant group.

Despite being declared defeated in Syria in recent years, the organization's sleeper cells continue to carry out deadly attacks. UN estimates suggest the group still has between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in Syria and Iraq.

US troops have previously been targeted in the past. Among the most severe prior incidents took place in 2019 in northern Syria, when an explosion claimed the lives of American soldiers and two American civilians, among others.