2 U.S. service members, 1 U.S. civilian killed in IS attack in Syria

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Two U.S. service members and one U.S. civilian were killed in an ambush carried out by a lone Islamic State (IS) gunman in Syria, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) said on Saturday.

Three other service members were injured, the USCENTCOM said in a statement.

"The gunman was engaged and killed. As a matter of respect for the families and in accordance with Department of War policy, the identities of the service members will be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified," said the statement.

Earlier on Saturday, Syria's state-run SANA news agency reported that a joint patrol of Syrian security forces and U.S. troops came under gunfire near the city of Palmyra in central Syria.

According to the report, two Syrian security personnel and several U.S. personnel were wounded in the incident, while the attacker was killed.