U.S. launches strikes in Syria targeting Islamic State fighters after American deaths

Published 2 hours ago
Source: feeds.npr.org
President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth salute as carry teams move the transfer cases with the remains of Iowa National Guard soldiers Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa, and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat, who were killed in an attack in Syria, during a casualty return, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025 at Dover Air Force Base, Del.

The Trump administration launched military strikes in Syria to "eliminate" Islamic State group fighters in retaliation for an attack that killed two U.S. troops and an American interpreter a week ago.

(Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)