President of the Syrian Coalition Abdurrahman Mustafa, condemned the “terrorist bombing” which rocked the town of Manbij on Wednesday. He stressed the need to maintain security in the region by the Free Syrian Army and the Turkish army by filling the vacuum which will be caused by the withdrawal of US forces.
According to Reuters, four US soldiers were killed in the blast while three others were injured. Spokesperson for the international anti-ISIS coalition said that they began to investigate and gather information about the bombing.
A blast rocked the perimeter of Qasr al-Umaraa’ restaurant in central Manbij when a US patrol and elements of the international coalition forces were there, killing and wounding dozens of civilians and military servicemen.
“The terrorist bombing in the town of Manbij is a reprehensible act,” President Mustafa said in comments on Twitter. He underscored the need to coordinate with Turkey and the Free Syrian Army in the fight against terrorism.
President Mustafa pointed to the importance of following up on all that relates to “the plans or arrangements to preserve the security in the region and ensure that the vacuum is filled appropriately during and after the withdrawal of US forces from the region.”
Local media outlets said that the international coalition forces and PYD militia had imposed a security cordon around the site of the blast. US helicopters landed at the Manbij stadium to evacuate the dead and the injured.
With regards to the impact of the incident on the planned withdrawal of US forces, Vice President of the United States Mike Pence said that the US planned withdrawal from Syria will not be affected by the Wednesday bombing. During a speech at the meeting of heads of the US foreign diplomatic missions on Wednesday, Pence said that he and President Donald Trump are confirming that Washington will go forward with the plan to withdraw its troops from Syria. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
