Shifting Story on American Soldiers Killed in Syria
Officials now say the shooter was a member of Syrian security forces, not ISIS.
It is now being reported that two American soldiers and an American interpreter killed on Saturday in Syria were shot by a member of the Syrian security forces, not a member of ISIS as was previously said by U.S. officials.
A Syrian official said the shooter had extremist views and was going to be dismissed on Sunday, the day after the shooting.
The Americans were part of a security detail for a meeting between the Syrian Interior Minister and local officials. The soldiers were members of the Iowa National Guard.
This shifting story raises more questions:
Why did officials originally say the shooter was just a member of ISIS? The shooter was killed by Syrian forces, so presumably they would have been able to promptly identify one of their own.
Was the shooter really going to be dismissed, or was this reason just put together after the fact?
Were U.S. officials trying to downplay the incident, since President Trump just had a friendly meeting with the Syrian president a month ago at the White House?
Will Trump hold Syria accountable? He had originally vowed retaliation against ISIS.
How does Trump reconcile this attack and death of service members from the heartland with his campaign promises of getting the U.S. out of wars and conflicts around the world?