US Soldiers Killed in IS-Claimed Syria Blast
The U.S-led coalition said it is still gathering information on the incident.
"U.S. service members were killed during an explosion while conducting a routine patrol in Syria today. We are still gathering information and will share additional details at a later time," a coalition spokesman said on Twitter.
Local officials and the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the blast rocked the northern town of Manbij on Wednesday, as the patrol moved past a restaurant near the main market.
Officials said the explosion killed seven civilians while wounding nine more.
Claims issued by Islamic State said a Syrian fighter detonated his suicide vest near the patrol, killing or wounding nine soldiers, including some Americans.
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The U.S.-led coalition said it was aware of the reports and was looking into them.
“CJTF-OIR is aware of open source reports regarding an explosion in Syria,” Col. Sean Ryan said in a statement. “Coalition forces conducted a routine patrol in Syria today. We are still gathering information and will share additional details at a later time.”
President Trump briefed
Word of the attack also reached the White House.
“The President has been fully briefed and we will continue to monitor the ongoing situation in Syria,” said Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.
Reuters, quoting an unnamed U.S. official, said four U.S. soldiers were killed in the attack, with another three injured.
U.S. President Donald Trump called for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria last month, saying IS had been defeated.
The Pentagon Friday confirmed it had begun withdrawing some equipment from Syria as part of the pullout, but that some 2,000 U.S. forces would remain in place until conditions on the ground allowed for them to leave.
Turkey-Kurd flashpoint
Dozens of U.S. forces are based just outside of Manbij, which has been a flashpoint between U.S.-backed Kurdish militias and Turkey.
The main Kurdish militia in Syria, the YPG has been a key component of the U.S.-backed force fighting IS, and Turkey. But Ankara views the YPG as a terrorist organization with links to Kurds in Turkey.
In June, the United States brokered a deal with Turkey that called for the YPG to withdraw from Manbij, which would be protected by joint U.S.-Turkish patrols. But Turkey has accused the U.S. and the Kurds of failing to meet their commitments, and has been threatening to clear the YPG from the area itself.
Russia, which has also been trying to broker a deal with Turkey, said earlier this month its military police had started doing patrols of their own in areas around Manbij.
Carla Babb at the Pentagon contributed to this report