Citing a local source, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday, January 17, that “a team of the FBI arrived in Manbij a few hours ago and began an investigation into the bombing” that hit a restaurant in Manbij city center.
The bomb attack was later claimed by Islamic State (IS) in a statement , which said that a Syrian fighter had detonated an explosive vest near a foreign patrol in Manbij. The US government confirmed on Thursday that IS was likely behind the bombing, NRT reported.
A CENTCOM spokesperson announced on Wednesday evening that: "Two US service members, one Department of Defense (DoD) civilian, and one contractor supporting DoD were killed and three service members were injured while conducting a local engagement in Manbij, Syria."
A witness in Manbij said the attack had targeted a restaurant where US personnel were meeting members of the local forces backed by Washington.
The attack appears to be the deadliest on US forces in Syria since they deployed on the ground there in 2015.
The attack comes nearly a month after US President Donald Trump’s surprise Dec. 19 announcement that he would withdraw 2,000 US troops from Syria after concluding that Islamic State had been defeated there.
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