Flags at half-mast, somber faces, and a heavy sense of loss marked Wednesday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where President Donald Trump attended a dignified transfer ceremony for two Iowa National Guard members killed in a deadly attack in Syria. The deaths of Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, have cast a stark spotlight on the persistent threat posed by ISIS, even as U.S. officials tout past victories over the terror group.
The attack, which occurred Saturday, December 13, 2025, near Palmyra in the Syrian desert, also claimed the life of Ayad Mansoor Sakat, a U.S. civilian interpreter from Macomb, Michigan. Three other Iowa National Guard members were wounded—two remain in stable condition, while the third is reported to be in good condition, according to the Pentagon. The loss is deeply felt in Iowa, where the National Guard is remembering Torres-Tovar and Howard as heroes who represented “the best of Iowa,” as Maj. Gen. Stephen Osborn, adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard, put it.
Howard’s stepfather, Jeffrey Bunn, chief of the Tama, Iowa, police department, described Howard as a loving husband and “an amazing man of faith” who had dreamed of being a soldier since he was a boy. Bunn shared on the Meskwaki Nation Police Department’s Facebook page that Howard’s brother, also a staff sergeant in the Iowa National Guard, would escort “Nate” back to Iowa. Torres-Tovar, meanwhile, was remembered by fellow guardsmen as a “very positive” and family-oriented person who always put others first, according to a statement provided to WOI, a local TV station.
The dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base is one of the most solemn duties for any commander in chief. As the transfer cases, draped in American flags, were carried from the military aircraft to waiting vehicles, President Trump—no stranger to these ceremonies—stood by, his presence a reminder of the weighty decisions and consequences of ongoing military engagements abroad. Trump has previously said, “the toughest thing I have to do” as president is witness these rituals, a sentiment that resonates in moments like these.
The attack in Syria, which U.S. Central Command described as an ambush by a lone ISIS gunman, has reignited debate about the status of the Islamic State. While the group lost its last territorial stronghold in March 2019 after years of bloody conflict, experts and recent events suggest that ISIS remains a potent and evolving threat. Colin Clarke, executive director of the Soufan Center, told TIME, “The group’s never been defeated. That’s to say nothing about its ideology, which continues to resonate clearly with individuals around the globe.”
This point was underscored over a harrowing weekend. Just one day after the attack in Syria, two men killed at least fifteen people and wounded dozens more at a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said evidence, including ISIS flags found in the attackers’ vehicle, indicated the assault was inspired by the terror group. “It would appear that there is evidence that this was inspired by a terrorist organization, by ISIS,” Albanese stated at a Tuesday press conference.
These back-to-back attacks, thousands of miles apart, have rattled communities and policymakers alike. Despite the U.S.-led coalition’s military success against ISIS’s territorial ambitions, an estimated 2,500 ISIS fighters remain active in Syria and Iraq, according to TIME. The group’s ability to inspire, coordinate, or enable attacks far from its former heartland is a chilling reminder that its defeat on the battlefield has not spelled the end of its influence.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, appearing on Fox News on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, defended President Trump’s record, claiming, “We know in President Trump’s first term, he completely destroyed and demolished the ISIS caliphate. He took out some of their key top members and leaders.” Leavitt further asserted that Trump’s policies “are making the Middle East a safer place every day.” Nevertheless, the recent violence casts doubt on just how much safer the world has become.
President Trump himself has promised swift retaliation, calling the incident “an ISIS attack” against both the U.S. and Syria. “This had nothing to do with him,” Trump said Monday in the Oval Office, referring to interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was recently welcomed to Washington. “This had to do with ISIS.” Trump’s confidence in al-Sharaa, who led the ouster of former President Bashar Assad, signals a continued U.S. commitment to the coalition fighting ISIS in the region.
The Pentagon has confirmed that the attack remains under investigation. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated that preliminary findings suggest the ambush was “likely” carried out by ISIS, and a Pentagon official noted it occurred in an area outside the Syrian president’s control. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a stern warning: “Let it be known, if you target Americans—anywhere in the world—you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you.”
International condemnation followed swiftly. Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani extended condolences to the victims’ families, while Tom Barrack, U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, called the ambush “cowardly” and reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to defeating terrorism alongside Syrian partners.
But the violence in Syria and Australia wasn’t isolated. Experts point to a string of recent ISIS-inspired attacks, including a deadly New Year’s Day assault in New Orleans that killed fourteen people. Austin Doctor, director at the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center, told TIME, “The public record is clear that ISIS [is] remaining active. The related threat is not going away any time soon.” He noted that ISIS continues to provide logistical support and training to affiliated groups, such as Abu Sayyaf in Southeast Asia, and can inspire individuals in Western nations to commit acts of terror.
Clarke, the Soufan Center director, expressed concern about the future: “I’m very concerned that between now and the end of the year, we could see a potential plot here in the United States. And I’m furthermore concerned because we’ve scaled back our counterterrorism capabilities quite a bit.” After two decades of the global war on terror, he said, fatigue has set in, and resources have shifted to other global crises—leaving blind spots that ISIS and its sympathizers may yet exploit.
As the remains of the fallen soldiers make their way home, the U.S. and its allies are left grappling with a sobering reality: the fight against ISIS is far from over. The resilience of the group’s ideology and its ability to inspire violence across continents is a challenge that will require vigilance, coordination, and, perhaps most of all, the resolve to adapt as the threat evolves.
