Several US soldiers were killed today in a suicide attack claimed by the jihadist Islamic State (IS) group in the city of Manbech, in northern Syria, the US-led international coalition confirmed.
“American servicemen were killed during an explosion while carrying out a routine patrol operation in Syria,” an international coalition spokesman said on his official Twitter account.
The spokesman gave no further details, but according to the media, four US soldiers were killed and three wounded in the attack, which according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, left at least 16 fatalities.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a brief statement that President Donald Trump had been informed of the attack and will continue to “monitor the situation in Syria.”
The attack is the first to take place since Trump announced on December 19 the withdrawal of his troops from northern Syria and after the start of the withdrawal process on January 11, Colonel Sean Ryan told Efe. spokesperson for the international coalition.
Despite what happened, Vice President Mike Pence defended Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from the Arab country.
“We are bringing our troops home, the caliphate has collapsed and we have defeated the IS,” Pence proclaimed during a speech at the State Department, not to mention the attack recorded a few hours earlier.
The Syrian Human Rights Observatory said today that two soldiers of the anti-jihadist alliance had died in the attack, although they did not specify their nationality.
He added that nine civilians and five Syrian fighters from the coalition-allied forces that control the area also lost their lives in the explosion, which took place at the Qasr al Umara restaurant in downtown Manbech, according to the NGO.
In addition, the attack left 10 civilians injured and one member of the international coalition, according to the Observatory.
Manbech was under the control of the Democratic Syrian Forces (FSD), an armed alliance led by Kurds and supported by the coalition, although the fighters of these militias began to withdraw from the village after reaching an agreement with the Syrian Army to its deployment in the area. (EFEUSA) .-
