(NewsNation) — The U.S. Army has officially identified the two soldiers killed in a Saturday attack on U.S. forces in Palmyra, Syria.
Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve and were conducting a joint field patrol with Syrian security forces when the attack happened.
Torres and Howard were assigned to 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division of the Iowa National Guard, Boone, Iowa.
“Nate was a dedicated soldier through and through. He wanted to be a soldier from a very young boy to his adulthood,” Jeff Bunn, Howard’s stepfather, told NewsNation. “Nate was a loving husband to his wife Arianna … a great son, an amazing man of faith and is with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in Heaven. Nate, his other Soldiers and the Interpreter were heroes doing what they loved for our Country. He had no fear and would be first in, last out and no one left behind.”
One civilian was also killed in the attack. The incident is currently under investigation.
U.S. Central Command and President Donald Trump have attributed the attack to a gunman tied to ISIS. Trump told reporters that the U.S. would “retaliate” as a result.
