Tragic Attack in Syria Claims Lives of Iowa National Guard Members

Sat Dec 20 2025 13:57:27 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Two Iowa National Guard soldiers were killed during an attack in Syria attributed to the Islamic State group. The U.S. military and local officials are investigating the incident, which raises serious security concerns.

Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, were identified as the two Iowa National Guard members killed in a weekend attack in Syria, in which a civilian interpreter was also killed and three Guard members were wounded. The attack is significant in the context of U.S.-Syria relations following the ousting of Bashar Assad and highlights ongoing threats from ISIS in the region.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The two Iowa National Guard members killed in a weekend attack that the U.S. military blamed on the Islamic State group in Syria were identified Monday.

The U.S. Army named them as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered all flags in Iowa to fly at half-staff in their honor, stating, “We are grateful for their service and deeply mourn their loss.”

The Pentagon’s chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, has indicated a civilian U.S. interpreter also lost their life in the attack, with three other Guard members injured. Two are in stable condition, while the third is considered to be in good condition.

Security experts view the attack as a critical challenge in U.S.-Syria relations, especially following a year of improvements following Bashar Assad's departure from power. U.S. troops remain strategically positioned in eastern Syria as part of a coalition against ISIS.

The incident unfolded during a shooting in the Syrian desert near the historic city of Palmyra, leading to various injuries among local security personnel as well as the death of the assailant, who was reportedly recently integrated into Syria's internal security forces amid existing suspicions regarding his potential affiliations with Islamic State.