Currents News Staff
Two U.S. service members, a defense contractor, and a Department of Defense civilian have been killed in a deadly explosion in a town in northern Syria.
It came in an instant, an explosion in a crowded Syrian street, killing multiple U.S. service members.
A representative for the U.S. led coalition, Operation Inherent Resolve confirmed the casualties in a tweet, “U.S. service members were killed during an explosion while conducting a routine patrol in Syria today. We are still gathering information and will share additional details at a later time.”
All of this comes in the midst of president Trump’s announcement that the U.S. is withdrawing its forces from Syria.
“My concern, by the statements made by President Trump, is that you set in motion enthusiasm by the enemy we’re fighting,” said Senator Lindsey Graham.
During a confirmation hearing for Attorney General Nominee William Barr, Senator Lindsey Graham urged president Trump to re-evaluate his strategy.
“I hope the President will look long and hard about what we’re doing in Syria,” said Graham.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, less than a month after president Trump made this announcement.
“We have won against ISIS. We’ve beaten them and we’ve beaten them badly. We’ve taken back the land and now it’s time for our troops to come back home,” President Donald Trump said on December 19.
Last week the U.S. began withdrawing some military ground equipment from Syria but there is no firm date on when the roughly 2,000 troops stationed in the country would leave.
Prior to Wednesday’s attack, only two service members had been killed in action in Syria since the start of the campaign in 2014.