US Troops Killed in ISIS-claimed Attack in Syria
BY REBECCA KHEEL
01/16/19 09:36 AM EST
The Hill
U.S. service members were among those killed in a suicide blast Wednesday in the northern Syria town of Manbij, according to the spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition Operation Inherent Resolve.
The spokesman said they were still gathering information and will share additional details at a later time.
The explosion occurred while a patrol of the U.S.-led international coalition fighting ISIS was caught in a suicide blast, according to local reports.
“The president has been fully briefed and we will continue to monitor the ongoing situation in Syria,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.
She referred further questions to the Pentagon.
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) released statements claiming to be behind the attack, according to multiple reports. They did not offer evidence in support of the claim.
Manbij is a Kurdish-controlled town that U.S. and U.S.-backed forces retook from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2016.
A spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, which runs the town now, said on Twitter that the blast hit a busy market area.
“Terror hits the safe city of Manbij. An explosion in Manbij's busy market [street], initial reports of casualties,” spokesman Shervan Derwish tweeted.
Local reports gave different ranges for the number of coalition troops killed in the blast. Prominent war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 16 people were killed, including two coalition troops.
The blast comes as the United States begins a withdrawal ordered by President Trump last month. On Friday, U.S. forces began removing some equipment for Syria, but no troops have withdrawn yet.
Trump first ordered an immediate withdrawal, but officials have since said the withdrawal will happen more slowly.
01/16/19 09:36 AM EST
The Hill
U.S. service members were among those killed in a suicide blast Wednesday in the northern Syria town of Manbij, according to the spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition Operation Inherent Resolve.
The spokesman said they were still gathering information and will share additional details at a later time.
The explosion occurred while a patrol of the U.S.-led international coalition fighting ISIS was caught in a suicide blast, according to local reports.
“The president has been fully briefed and we will continue to monitor the ongoing situation in Syria,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.
She referred further questions to the Pentagon.
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) released statements claiming to be behind the attack, according to multiple reports. They did not offer evidence in support of the claim.
Manbij is a Kurdish-controlled town that U.S. and U.S.-backed forces retook from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2016.
A spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, which runs the town now, said on Twitter that the blast hit a busy market area.
“Terror hits the safe city of Manbij. An explosion in Manbij's busy market [street], initial reports of casualties,” spokesman Shervan Derwish tweeted.
Local reports gave different ranges for the number of coalition troops killed in the blast. Prominent war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 16 people were killed, including two coalition troops.
The blast comes as the United States begins a withdrawal ordered by President Trump last month. On Friday, U.S. forces began removing some equipment for Syria, but no troops have withdrawn yet.
Trump first ordered an immediate withdrawal, but officials have since said the withdrawal will happen more slowly.
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