The U.S. Army on Monday identified the two Iowa National Guard soldiers killed by the Islamic State group in a weekend attack in Syria as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown.
The interpreter who was killed was identified as Ayad Sakat in a social media post written by Howard’s stepfather, Jeffrey Bunn. Sakat was “a hero helping our soldiers,” Bunn wrote.
The soldiers were killed Saturday near Palmyra, Syria, during a meeting between U.S. and Syrian security officials, according to The Associated Press. A civilian working as a U.S. interpreter was also killed, and three other Guard members were wounded, per a release from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Reynolds ordered flags flown at half-staff in honor of the fallen soldiers. The Iowa National Guard’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Stephen Osborn, said in a statement that the Guard’s focus is supporting the families and ensuring “the legacy of these two heroes is never forgotten.”
Howard remembered as a man of faith
Bunn, chief of the Meskwaki Nation Police Department, wrote about Howard in a social media post on Saturday night.
“Nate was a loving husband to his wife Arianna Howard, a great son, an amazing man of faith and is with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in Heaven,” the post said.
Howard “loved what he was doing and would be the first in and last out,” Bunn wrote.
Planned retaliation
Offering prayer for the victims and family on Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted, “The United States of America will avenge these fallen Americans with overwhelming force.”
Please join me in prayer today for the souls of our brave Army Soldiers Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, who were killed by Islamic terrorists in Syria this past weekend.
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) December 15, 2025
Our hearts go out to their families, and we lift them up in prayer for… https://t.co/GgZC96dfBo
This was after President Donald Trump committed to retaliate following the Saturday attack.
Why are there troops in Syria?
In April, two senior U.S. officials said that U.S. servicemen were in Syria to provide counterterrorism assistance to Kurdish fighters and help to operate detention camps, The New York Times reported. Trump has expressed skepticism about keeping any American forces there, but U.S. military officials have recommended retaining at least 500 U.S. troops in Syria.
