This undated combo photo created with images released by the Iowa National Guard shows Sgts. William Nathaniel Howard, left, and Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar. (Iowa National Guard via AP)2025-12-15T17:09:20Z WASHINGTON (AP) The two Iowa National Guard members killed in a weekend attack in Syria that the U.S. military blamed on the Islamic State group were identified Monday and remembered as dedicated soldiers.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, saying, We are grateful for their service and deeply mourn their loss. The Pentagons chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, has said a U.S. civilian working as an interpreter also was killed. Three other Guard members were wounded in the attack, the Iowa National Guard said Monday, with two of them in stable condition and the other in good condition. AP AUDIO: US Army names 2 Iowa Guard members killed in attack in Syria AP correspondent Haya Panjwani reports on two National Guard members killed in the Middle East. The attack was a major test for the rapprochement between the United States and Syria since the ouster of autocratic leader Bashar Assad a year ago, coming as the U.S. military is expanding its cooperation with Syrian security forces. Hundreds of American troops are deployed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition fighting IS. How the attack happenedThe shooting Saturday in the Syrian desert near the historic city of Palmyra also wounded members of the countrys security forces, and the gunman was killed. The assailant had joined Syrias internal security forces as a base security guard two months ago and recently was reassigned amid suspicions that he might be affiliated with IS, a Syrian official said.The man stormed a meeting between U.S. and Syrian security officials who were having lunch together and opened fire after clashing with Syrian guards, Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba said Sunday. Al-Baba acknowledged that it was a major security breach but said that in the year since Assads fall, there have been many more successes than failures by security forces.The Army said Monday that the incident is under investigation. Military officials and President Donald Trump have blamed the attack on an IS member. Trump administration vows retaliationOur hearts go out to their families, and we lift them up in prayer for strength and comfort during this time of grief, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday on social media. The United States of America will avenge these fallen Americans with overwhelming force.Trump reiterated his promise of retaliation from over the weekend, telling reporters at the White House on Monday that IS will be hit hard.He also reaffirmed his support for Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, saying the Syrian government is not to blame for the deadly attack. This had nothing to do with him, Trump said of al-Sharaa. This is a part of Syria that they really dont have much control over. And it was a surprise. He feels very badly about it. Hes working on it. Hes a strong man.Trump welcomed al-Sharaa, who led the lightning insurgency that toppled Assads rule, to the White House for a historic meeting last month. Iowa National Guard members remembered as heroesMeanwhile, Torres-Tovar and Howard were remembered as cherished members of the Iowa National Guard family, Stephen Osborn, adjutant general, said in a statement. Our focus now is providing unwavering support to their families through this unimaginable time and ensuring the legacy of these two heroes is never forgotten, Osborn said.Luis Corona has known Torres-Tovar since middle school, when they played soccer together during recess. They drifted apart while attending different high schools but reconnected after Corona enlisted and saw a familiar face upon joining his Iowa unit after bootcamp.I was very nervous, very new to the Army. I didnt know what to expect. And just to see Edgar there, it was a big relief, a huge weight off my shoulders, like, OK, I wont be alone in this, Corona told The Associated Press.From then on, he said, their bond grew into a brotherhood. Torres-Tovars defining trait was his selflessness, Corona said. He was remembered as a role model to his younger siblings and all the newly enlisted soldiers in the unit.Corona learned of his friends death while reading the news. No! he shouted at the top of his lungs in what he later described as an expression of disbelief, shock, sadness, anger, just every form of distraught you can think of. Howard had wanted to be a soldier since he was a young boy, according to Jeffrey Bunn, Howards stepfather and chief of the Meskwaki Nation Police Department in Tama, Iowa, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northeast of Des Moines. Howard loved what he was doing and would be the first in and last out, Bunn wrote Saturday on the departments Facebook page.Howard also was a loving husband and an amazing man of faith, Bunn said, adding that Howards younger brother, a staff sergeant in the Iowa National Guard, would escort Nate back to Iowa.Howard was inspired by his grandfathers service and wanted to serve for 20 years, according to an April post on a Facebook page dedicated to sharing stories of the unit. He had served for over 11 years. ___Fingerhut reported from Des Moines. Associated Press writers Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Abby Sewell in Beirut, Lebanon, contributed to this report. HANNAH FINGERHUT Fingerhut is a government and politics reporter based in Des Moines, Iowa. mailto