Donald Trump

Sailor Based at Fort Meade Killed in Syria Attack

A 35-year-old sailor based at Fort Meade in Maryland was killed Wednesday in an explosion in Syria.

Shannon M. Kent was one of four Americans killed in a suicide bomb attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

Kent was killed in the Syrian city of Manbij, near the Turkish border, while supporting Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve, the Navy said in a statement. The operation's mission is to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and increase stability in the region, according to the U.S. Central Command website.

Kent worked as a cryptologic technician, the Navy's statement said.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends, and teammates of Chief Petty Officer Kent during this extremely difficult time. She was a rockstar, an outstanding Chief Petty Officer, and leader to many in the Navy Information Warfare Community," Cmdr. Joseph Harrison, Commanding Officer, CWA-66, said in the statement.

Kent was from Pine Plains, New York, and enlisted in the Navy in December 2003. Her work included assignments in Washington, D.C. and Norfolk, Virginia.

On Friday, the Pentagon identified three of the four Americans killed in Syria this week.

In addition to Kent, Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan R. Farmer, 37, was killed. He was from Boynton Beach, Florida, and was based at Fort Campbell, in Kentucky. Scott A. Wirtz, of St. Louis, also was killed. He was an operations support specialist for the Defense Intelligence Agency, NBC News reported.

The Pentagon did not identify the fourth casualty, a civilian contractor.

Local

Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information

GMU cricket stadium proposal scrapped

Nationals place Stephen Strasburg on 60-day injured list

The attack was the deadliest assault on U.S. troops in Syria since American forces went into the country in 2015. 

It came weeks after President Donald Trump announced in a tweet on Dec. 19 that he would pull all 2,000 U.S. troops out of Syria because "we have defeated ISIS in Syria."

The explosion highlighted the threat posed by ISIS despite Trump's claims. It also could complicate what had already become a messy withdrawal plan, with the president's senior advisers disagreeing with the decision and then offering an evolving timetable for the removal of troops.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us