US Military Personnel Killed In Syria Attack

The attack took place in the Syrian town of Manbij (Picture: US Army).

A number of US service members have been killed in an explosion while conducting a routine patrol in Syria, the US military said.

It is the first instance of US casualties since President Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw troops from the country last month.

The so-called Islamic State group (IS) claimed responsibility for the morning attack in the US-patrolled town of Manbij in northern Syria, saying one of its members carried out a suicide attack and detonated his vest filled with explosives.

A local town council and a Syrian war monitoring group said the blast occurred near a restaurant close to the town's main market, near a patrol of the US-led coalition, killing and wounding more than a dozen people.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 16 people were killed, including nine civilians, and others were wounded in the blast.

It added that at least five US-backed Syrian fighters were also among the dead.

The US military released a statement saying:

"US 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."

The attack came days after the US began the process of withdrawing from Syria, pulling out equipment from the north east into neighbouring Iraq.

Mr Trump abruptly announced his intention to rapidly withdraw the 2,000 troops from Syria just before Christmas, declaring IS to be defeated.

The announcement took some of his closest aides by surprise, upset allies in the region, and led to the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.