An image grab taken from a video obtained by AFPTV on January 16, 2019, shows US armoured vehicles at the scene of a suicide attack in the northern Syrian town of Manbij. | AFP/Getty Images defense U.S. troop deaths revive anger over Trump’s Syria withdrawal plan

A suicide bombing in Syria killed four Americans and wounded three more on Wednesday, raising questions about the terror group's resilience and reviving the pitched debate around Donald Trump's plan to withdraw American forces from the country.

The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, claimed credit for the attack in the northern city of Manbij, which went unmentioned in a speech hours later by Vice President Mike Pence, who declared that “[t]he caliphate has crumbled and ISIS has been defeated.”


In a statement, the Pentagon said that two U.S. service members, one Department of Defense civilian employee and one American contractor were killed in the attack. Three troops were also injured in the blast during what the Pentagon called a routine patrol.

By late Wednesday afternoon President Donald Trump himself had not commented on the attack, although Pence condemned it in a statement issued shortly after his speech. That statement said the U.S. has "crushed the ISIS caliphate and devastated its capabilities," but it did not repeat the word "defeated."

Pence also suggested that the troop withdrawal Trump announced in mid-December will continue even as the U.S. remains vigilant against the terrorist group.

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"As we begin to bring our troops home, the American people can be assured, for the sake of our soldiers, their families, and our nation, we will never allow the remnants of ISIS to reestablish their evil and murderous caliphate — not now, not ever," Pence said.

Democrats were quick to pounce on the attack as evidence that Trump's talk of withdrawing the 2,000 U.S. troops stationed in northern and eastern Syria — on an unspecified timeline — is reckless.

"The fight against ISIS is clearly not over," Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement, calling the attack "a stark reminder that the Trump Administration needs a clearly developed and articulated strategy to secure the gains we have made in the fight against terror."

"This administration’s distortion of reality is dangerous," declared a statement from the Democratic National Committee. "Despite being told by military leaders on the ground in Syria that ISIS was not entirely defeated, Trump and his administration continues to lie to the American people."

At least one Republican also sounded a note of criticism. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who has been a critic of Trump's Syria withdrawal plan, suggested during a Wednesday Senate hearing that Trump's talk had emboldened ISIS.

"My concern, by the statements made by President Trump, is that you set in motion enthusiasm by the enemy we're fighting," Graham said. "I hope the president will look long and hard at what we’re doing in Syria."

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told reporters at the Pentagon that "our thoughts and prayers to the families and team members of those killed and wounded during today’s attack in Manbij," according to a pool report.

"Our fight against terrorism is ongoing and we will remain vigilant and committed to its destruction," he added. "Today is a stark reminder of the dangerous missions that men and women in uniform perform on our behalf each and every day.” But he declined to respond to a question about whether the attack would affect the withdrawal timeline.

The 2,000 U.S. troops currently in Syria include special operations forces who work with local Syrian and Kurdish militias and conventional troops who support them. Since his initial call for a troop withdrawal last month, Trump and his top officials have said that any exit would be based on conditions including the lasting defeat of ISIS and the protection of anti-ISIS Kurdish fighters against potential attacks by Turkey.

The blast came just days after the Pentagon announced it has begun withdrawing equipment at Trump's direction.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the Wednesday attack via its Amaq news agency, saying it was carried out by a suicide bomber donning an explosive vest.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in the U.K., reported that at least eight people were killed. Video on social media also depicted an armed civilian S-92 helicopter evacuating casualties afterward.

The White House said that Trump "has been fully briefed and we will continue to monitor the ongoing situation in Syria."

The news from Syria came as the Trump administration has sought to justify the president’s plan to withdraw U.S. troops from the troubled Arab country, which remains locked in a civil war.

He reiterated that although the U.S. is withdrawing its forces, “we’ll stay in the region and we’ll stay in the fight,” to prevent the terrorist group from re-emerging.

Four other U.S. troops have died in Syria since special operations forces first entered the country in late 2015.