NY Times:

American troops were among 15 people killed on Wednesday in a suicide bombing in northern Syria that was claimed by the Islamic State, just weeks after President Trump ordered the withdrawal of United States forces and declared that the extremist group had been defeated.

The attack targeted a restaurant in the northern city of Manbij where American soldiers would sometimes stop to eat during their patrols of the area, residents said. After the blast, a number of Americans were evacuated by helicopter, they said. It was not immediately clear how many had been in the area at the time of the blast.

A statement by the Baghdad-based American headquarters for the fight against the Islamic State said the attack happened while the troops were on a patrol.

“U.S. service members were killed during an explosion while conducting a routine patrol in Syria today,” said the statement, which was posted on Twitter. “We are still gathering information and will share additional details at a later time.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 15 and said one American soldier was among the dead.

Additionally, a Defense Department official said there were multiple Americans killed or wounded but did not give specific numbers. Another United States official said as many as three American troops and an American civilian were killed, and three others wounded — one critically. Both of those officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House spokeswoman, said Mr. Trump had been briefed on the attack “and we will continue to monitor the ongoing situation in Syria.” Vice President Mike Pence, speaking at a gathering of American ambassadors at the State Department headquarters on Wednesday, maintained that plans to pull troops out of Syria remain on track.

 

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