The Two Iowa NatGuard Members Murdered in Syria Identified

What did that vile, daffy, worthless drunk who ran for president last year say about our troops again?

AND, AS OF TODAY, THERE IS NOT ONE MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ON ACTIVE DUTY IN A COMBAT ZONE IN ANY WARZONE AROUND THE WORLD

I will always cherish the incredulous reaction of the troops watching, calling out her ignorance in the moment as only service members can.

American Troops in a combat zone watch Kamala Harris tell the world that there are no American troops in a combat zone pic.twitter.com/88G3WHlpz4

— The Redheaded libertarian (@TRHLofficial) September 13, 2024

With the unforgivable loss in the nation’s capital last month of a West Virginia National Guard soldier and the near-fatal wounding of another, I guess we can add Washington, D.C., to the list of active combat zones where our National Guard troops serve and have been serving. In third-world s**tholes like D.C., they’ve just arrived. But in well-established ones like Iraq, the borderlands of Jordan, and Syria, God bless them – they’ve been rotating in and out of there for years.

In 2014, President Barack Obama had the US officially intervene in the Syrian Civil War in order to curb the rise of the Islamic State, aka ISIS. It started with an air campaign, but by 2015, we had American troops in country. They have been there ever since, either running ops against ISIS when it was still a force to be reckoned with or acting as lead jailers for the 9000 ISIS prisoners and dependents still incarcerated in various locations across the war-torn country in concert with the Kurds.

…The Kurds in Northern Syria have worked with the US for years in the fight against ISIS, and this is where many of the airstrikes the United States engaged in you may have heard about during the recent Syrian regime change originated from. US assets were pounding ISIS targets in Northern Syria to support Kurds who were now, besides ISIS, also under attack from Turkish-backed militias.

There are about 900 American troops who have been helping Kurds in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria keep ISIS at bay. Obviously, if the Turks overrun the Kurds, ISIS will flourish, but they’ve a more immediate problem, and the prospect is pretty horrifying.

The Kurds are holding more than 50,000 ISIS-related prisoners, and it would be the nightmare jailbreak of all time if that containment system were allowed to collapse.

…“This is essentially a terrorist army in detention,” said Joseph Votel, a retired general who led U.S. Central Command from 2016 to 2019, during the fight against ISIS. “I am very concerned.”

While the majority of the detained ISIS fighters are from Iraq or Syria, many others hail from Europe, Central Asia and North America — including the United States. Some countries have dragged their heels on repatriating the prisoners, leading to a yearslong legal limbo for some 9,000 battle-hardened ISIS fighters and about 50,000 other people, including wives and children.

On Saturday, two of those magnificent Americans and an American translator were ambushed and murdered by an ISIS operative who’d infiltrated the Syrian security forces accompanying them as they went to a big village parlay near Palmyra, and more Americans were wounded. 

That area is not yet under the control of Al-Shaara’s new government.

…The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least three Syrian security members were wounded as well as several Americans.

It added that the attacker was a member of the Syrian security force.

The US has hundreds of troops deployed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

Last month, Syria joined the international coalition fighting against the IS as Damascus improves its relations with Western countries following last year’s fall of President Bashar Assad when insurgents captured his seat of power in Damascus.

US troops, which have maintained a presence in different parts of Syria — including Al-Tanf garrison in the central province of Homs — to train other forces as part of a broad campaign against IS, have been targeted in the past.

Shameless lefty ghouls looking to score on Trump went on the attack, once again conveniently forgetting the very answer to the question they were gaslighting with.

Obama sent them there to begin with in 2015.
Joe Biden LEFT THEM THERE.
Kamala Harris didn’t have a CLUE THEY WERE THERE.

Are you also asking either of those thre…well, at least you can ask Obama, right? https://t.co/XS4nsFwaXL

— tree hugging sister 🎃 (@WelbornBeege) December 15, 2025

Yesterday, word was released that the soldiers who’d been killed during the attack were members of an Iowa Guard unit, and more details became available about what had transpired.

The US troops who were killed and injured in Saturday’s ambush attack in Syria were members of the Iowa National Guard, a senior US official told Fox News.

An ISIS gunman opened fire with an automatic weapon in the central Syrian town of Palmyra, killing two Iowa National Guard soldiers and an American civilian translator, the official said. 

Three additional US soldiers were wounded in the attack.

Preliminary information suggests the attacker was once affiliated with the Syrian government forces and had been a low-level member of the Syrian Security Forces, before later becoming connected to ISIS, the official said. 

…“He was not a part of the official delegation that was being escorted by the US and Syrian troops,” the official said. “… This would not be considered a ‘green on blue’ incident because the Syrian gunman was not part of the US/Syrian partnered delegation.”

 

Now, we have names, faces, stories. Loved ones to whom we can direct prayers, warmest thoughts of consolation, and our eternal gratitude for their unimaginable sacrifice.

An Iowa sheriff’s son, Sgt Nate Howard, called to wear a uniform himself.

BREAKING: One of the U.S. service members killed in Syria has been identified as an Iowa police chief’s son, Sgt. Nate Howard.

The second service member killed in action has been identified as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar. Both were members of the Iowa National Guard. pic.twitter.com/hVvVGyYDx9

— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 15, 2025

‘My wife Misty and I,’ Sheriff Bunn wrote, ‘have had that visit from Army commanders you never want to have…’

Tears my heart out.

Sgt Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar – his parents also had that soft, horrible knock upon their door.

Family #2 to pray for is that of SGT Edgar Torres, 113th Cav, 2/34 IBCT. I hate this part of the life we chose, but he needs to be honored. Honor him. pic.twitter.com/xckSgx60hm

— Viking Rob (@VikingRobVWO) December 15, 2025

And we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for their precious sons, their magnificent boys, these great young American men.

They’ve also just released the American translator’s name and information, too, and we send all our warmest thoughts to his family on their terrible loss.

This is the Iraqi American citizen working as a translator with US forces who, along with two Iowa National Guard soldiers in Syria, was killed in a terrorist attack last week. https://t.co/Y2ufdQWl1J

— Alberto Miguel Fernandez (@AlbertoMiguelF5) December 15, 2025

Asked if the US will ‘retaliate’ against ISIS, unsurprisingly, President Trump says, ‘Yeah. We will.’

🚨 BREAKING: The identities of the two Iowa National Guard members killed by ISIS in Syria have been released:

– Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29

– Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar, 25

May they rest in peace. Keep their loved ones in your prayers today 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/YvCslTHV1V

— Digital Gal (@DigitalGalX) December 15, 2025

I hope so.

I hope he pounds the crap out of them.

To the Howard and Tovar families – please know our hearts are breaking with yours.

God bless your soldiers, and, in your pain, may His love wrap you all close in comfort and solace.

Semper Fi

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