A bomb blast has struck near a US-led coalition patrol killing and injuring and killing civilian and US-led coaltion military personnel in Syria’s northern city of Manbij today, according to multiple witnesses.
According to reports, casualties are believed to include at least 16 people, including at least 2 US soldiers. The death of US soldiers was also confirmed by CBS News.
Image from video supplied by Hawar News, for Kurdish ANHA news agency, showing aftermath of restaurant bombing in Manbij, Syria, Jan. 16, 2019.
Initial photos and videos were provided by a local Kurdish news site to the western mainstream media, but only showed two mutilated bodies, and bodies on the ground with people gathered around them, as well as damage to a building and vehicles, and blood smears on a pillar.
According to Reuters, two witnesses described the blast as follows, “An explosion hit near a restaurant, targeting the Americans, and there were some forces for the Manbij Military Council with them.”
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#Breaking #Syria #EasternEuphratesExplosion reported near a market in #Manbij. Unclear if #US soldiers (who were there) are involved.@AleppoAMC says that 5 US servicemen have been killed but I tend to be skeptical. pic.twitter.com/580NPH124y
— MrRevinsky (@Kyruer) January 16, 2019
Update: #USA Blackhawks are landing next to targeted site in #Manbij US Service men were injured. An US patrol was near the targeted restaurant – according to locals some were enjoying a meal inside the restaurant pic.twitter.com/AIM6lgcuwa
— Rojava News (@Rojava_News_) January 16, 2019
Oddly, rather than wait for official conformations, a US coalition spokesperson cited “open-source reports” (aka internet chatter) of the incident.
CJTF-OIR is aware of open source reports regarding an explosion in Syria. Coalition forces conducted a routine patrol in Syria today. We are still gathering information and will share additional details at a later time.
— OIR Spokesperson (@OIRSpox) January 16, 2019
The timing of this event is uncanny, as only a few days earlier, sweeping proclamations were being made regarding ‘the final defeat of ISIS, with U.S.-backed forces in Syria announcing to the mainstream media about how Islamic State is in its ‘final moments.’ That signal of victory against the terrorist group in Syria was meant to dovetail with the imminent US withdrawal of troops from Washington’s Operation Inherent Resolve – an illegal military occupation of northeastern Syria.
However, today’s event will almost certainly trigger calls in the US for a reversal of President Trump decision to pull-out of Syria – as war hawks and CIA pundits will be lined-up on the various panels across in the US media, all heralding in unison how today’s ‘US sacrifice’ should be regarded as proof that ISIS is not defeated in Syria which therefore justifies not only a continued illegal US occupation in Syria, but an expand its footprint and air patrol activities in the elusive “fight against ISIS” which Washington claims to have been doing since placing military assets on the ground there in 2016.
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Today’s events are even more timely considering how it was revealed yesterday that President Donald Trump had reassured Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a phone conversation that the U.S. was in the process of pulling its troops out of Syria, this after a raucous Tweet storm between the two leaders just hours earlier. Washington is insisting that ‘the Kurds,’ namely US-backed SDF proxy militias and YPG militias, are to be protected following any US withdrawal, but after today’s high-profile ISIS attack, the withdrawal may be delayed indefinitely.
According to White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, President Trump has been briefed on the today’s bombing.
“The president has been fully briefed and we will continue to monitor the ongoing situation in Syria,” said Sanders in a statement, referring any further questions to the US Department of Defense.
STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES.
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