At Least Four Americans Killed in ISIS-Claimed Attack in Syria By Raja Abdulrahim in Beirut and Nancy A. Youssef in Washington
A bombing in Syria claimed by Islamic State killed at least four Americans on Wednesday, according to the Pentagon, reigniting a debate in Washington over President Trump’s plan to withdraw troops from the country.
Allied fighters with the Syrian Democratic Forces and a number of civilians were also among the 19 dead in the attack in the northern city of Manbij, which is under the control of the U.S.-backed SDF, according to local media and the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Other Americans may have been among the wounded, U.S. officials said.
Two of the Americans killed in the blast were U.S. service members while a third was a civilian Defense Department employee, the Pentagon said. The fourth American killed was a contractor supporting the U.S. effort in Syria, it said. Officials earlier believed three Americans were killed and that all were military service members.
The White House expressed “sympathies and love” to the families of those killed. “Our service members and their families have all sacrificed so much for our country,” the White House said.
The bombing comes a month after Mr. Trump announced a rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria and said on Twitter, “We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.”
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