Trump, Iowa officials salute dignified transfer of slain soldiers and interpreter
President Donald Trump attends the dignified transfer of two Iowa National Guardsmen and an interpreter killed in Syria.
The civilian interpreter who was killed in Palmyra, Syria, over the weekend has been identified as Ayad Mansoor Sakat.
Sakat, 54, was born in Bakhdida, Iraq, and worked as an interpreter for the U.S. Army during the Iraq invasion from 2003 to 2007.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday attended a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for Sakat and two Iowa National Guard soldiers killed in the attack in Syria.
The Department of the Army identified the soldiers as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa, who were killed while supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.
WAR SEC. HEGSETH ISSUES STATEMENT AFTER TWO U.S. SOLDIERS KILLED IN SYRIA ARE IDENTIFIED
A U.S. Army carry team moves the transfer case containing the remains of a U.S. civilian, Ayad Mansoor Sakat, who was killed in Syria on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images / Dina Qiryaqoz)
Torres-Tovar and Howard were assigned to 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division of the Iowa National Guard.
The Army said the incident remains under investigation.
Sgt. William Howard (left) and Sgt. Edgar Torres-Tovar (right) died Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025 in Palmyra, Syria. (Iowa National Guard)
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Saturday that two Army soldiers and one civilian U.S. interpreter were killed, and three were wounded when an attacker opened fire.
IOWA NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIERS IDENTIFIED AS VICTIMS IN DEADLY SYRIA ISIS ATTACK
The service members had been conducting a key leader engagement with local partners in support of ongoing counter-ISIS operations.
A U.S. Army member closes the door of a vehicle carrying flag-draped transfer cases during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Dec. 17, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
A Pentagon official told Fox News Digital the attack occurred in an area outside the control of interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, and that initial assessments indicate it was likely carried out by ISIS.
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Sakat is survived by his wife, Manahel Daau, and their children: Zeena, Leena, Dina, and Farah.
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