Trump promises 'big damage' after 2 National Guard soldiers killed in Syrian ambush

The United States Army identified two National Guard members who were killed over the weekend in Syria.

On Monday, the Department of the Army identified the soldiers as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa.

'Please pray for our Soldiers all around this cruel world.'

The Army's statement says they were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve in Palmyra, Syria, when they were "engaged by hostile forces" and killed Saturday.

Fox News reported that a lone Islamic state gunman targeted a group including Torres-Tovar and Howard. The attack also killed a U.S. civilian interpreter and wounded three more U.S. soldiers.

RELATED: Trump promises 'very serious retaliation' after 'ISIS attack' that killed 2 US Army soldiers, 1 US interpreter in Syria

Operation Inherent Resolve's mission in Syria is "to enable the enduring defeat of ISIS."

Both were assigned to 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division of the Iowa National Guard, Boone, Iowa.

Meskwaki Nation Police Chief Jeffrey Bunn, the father of Howard, released a heartbreaking statement in the wake of the news.

"Today two of our Iowa Army National Guard Soldiers were killed in action along with a Civilian Interpreter in Syria," Bunn said on Sunday.

"My wife Misty and I had that visit from Army Commanders you never want to have. Our son Nate was one of the Soldiers that paid the ultimate sacrifice for all of us, to keep us all safer. He loved what he was doing and would be the first in and last out, no one left behind. Please pray for our Soldiers all around this cruel world. We will see you again son, until then we have it from here."

On Sunday, President Donald Trump promised "a lot of damage done to the people that did it."

"They got the person, the individual person. But there will be big damage done," he added.

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