Several people, including US troops, were reportedly killed after a blast struck near a US-led coalition patrol in the northern Syrian town of Manbij on Wednesday.
The US-led coalition confirmed on Twitter that US troops were killed during the explosion, but did not elaborate on the number of casualties. It said it was still gathering information about the attack.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Kurdish-led Manbij Military Council, which administers the town, said the attack occurred near a restaurant on Wednesday, killing several, including civilians.
A website linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) claimed responsibility, saying an attacker used an explosive vest to carry out the blast.
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| An screen grab taken from a video obtained by AFPTV on January 16, 2019, shows US troops gathered at the scene of a suicide attack in the northern Syrian town of Manbij [ANHA/AFP] |
Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency said wounded US soldiers were transferred to a hospital by helicopter.
Videos released by local activists and news agencies showed a restaurant that suffered extensive damage and a street covered with debris and blood. Several cars were also damaged. Another video showed a helicopter flying over the area. The videos could not be immediately verified.
The attack comes as the US begins the process of withdrawing about 2,000 troops from Syria.
Last month, US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal announcement surprised many politicians in Washington as well as Western and Kurdish allies fighting alongside the US against ISIL.
The move prompted US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis to resign, and the top US envoy in the anti-ISIL fight, Brett McGurk, to leave his post earlier than expected.
Trump’s decision was initially expected to be carried out swiftly, but the timetable became vague in the weeks following his announcement.
Wednesday’s attack was not the first time that forces of the US-led coalition were targeted in the area, although they have been rare.
In March last year, a roadside bomb killed two coalition personnel, an American and UK national, and wounded five in Manbij.
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