'Devastating shock': Macomb County man identified as interpreter killed in Syria attack
MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Macomb County man who served as an interpreter for the U.S. Army in Iraq was one of three who were killed in a deadly ambush attack in Syria.
Big picture view:
On Saturday, Dec. 13, two U.S. Army soldiers and a U.S. interpreter were killed Saturday in an ambush attack in Syria, the Pentagon said. The interpreter was identified Ayad Mansoor Sakat from Macomb.
"I am deeply saddened that we lost a brave Michigander over the weekend in an attack in Syria. Ayad Mansoor Sakat was an interpreter who proudly served this country with honor and courage. My condolences go out to his loved ones and the Macomb Township community," Governor Gretchen Whitmer said on Facebook.
Representative Lisa McLain also made a statement regarding Sakat's death.
"My thoughts are with his family, and I am grateful to every one of our citizens that step up to serve alongside our military," she said. "Their work enables our forces to operate in foreign theaters all over the world."
2 US Army soldiers, interpreter killed in Syria ambush attack
Two U.S. Army soldiers and a U.S. interpreter were killed Saturday in an ambush attack in Syria, the Pentagon said.
Local perspective:
Sakat's family said he served as an interpreter for the U.S. Army during the Iraq invasion from 2003 to 2007. His services granted them Special Immigrant Visas allowing them to come to the United States.
"Serving this country was in his blood for as long as we can remember, and all four of us—his children—have the utmost respect for everything he did alongside American soldiers," they said.
What they're saying:
The injured in Saturday's attack were taken by helicopters to the al-Tanf garrison, which is near the border with Iraq and Jordan, The Associated Press reported, citing Syrian state media.
As of June, the U.S. had about 1,500 troops left in Syria following withdrawals and consolidations ordered by the Pentagon, and that number was expected to drop to just several hundred by the end of this year, according to Fox News Chief National Security correspondent Jennifer Griffin.
Griffin reported that the U.S. had eight bases in Syria to keep an eye on ISIS since the U.S. military went in to prevent the terrorist group from setting up a caliphate in 2014, although three of those bases have since been closed down or turned over to the Syrian Democratic Forces.