Suicide Bomber Attacks US-Kurdish Patrol in Syria's Manbij - Reports

The attack comes amid reported US plans to withdraw its forces from Syria by the summer following the waning of the threat posed by Daesh in the region.

A suicide bomber in a vehicle packed with explosives carried out an attack against a joint US-Kurdish patrol around the city of Manbij, northern Syria on Saturday, Kurdish television reported, citing Manbij Military Council spokesman Sharfan Darwish.

According to the spokesman, the car bomb injured seven civilians in the area and left one Kurdish militia member hurt after the bomber detonated his car as a military vehicle and several civilian cars passed. One of the civilians is thought to be in a serious condition, with five others taken to hospital.

The attack was said to have taken place near a livestock market in the city's southeast.

Col. Sean Ryan, a representative of the US-led anti-Daesh coalition, told Kurdish TV that US military personnel were not injured in the attack.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing.

In January two US Army troops, a contractor and one civilian working for the Pentagon, were killed in Manbij in a suspected Daesh (ISIS)* suicide attack. That attack also left three servicemen injured, and killed multiple Syrian Kurdish civilians.

Earlier on Saturday, a Kurdish official said the Syrian Democratic Forces had assembled 2,500 fighters to sweep the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz, where Daesh remnants are believed to be holed up, with the operation said to be delayed by the presence of civilians in the area.

Last week, Turkish media reported that the US had informed Turkey about its intention to pull US troops out of Syria by the summer, adding, however, that the schedule can be adjusted depending on the situation on the ground.

Ankara has classified the US-backed Syrian militias operating in northern Syria as 'terrorists', and has alleged that they pose a threat to Turkey's national security through alleged contacts with Kurdish militants operating in Turkey. In January 2018, Turkey launched a military operation in the northwestern Syrian city of Afrin against the Kurdish People's Protection Units. In December, Turkey warned that it might launch an offensive in Manbij. These plans were put on hold after President Trump announced that he would be withdrawing US troops from Syria.

The Syrian government has categorically rejected the presence of both Turkish and US forces on its soil. Russia has insisted that any agreement regarding the region can only be concluded with the Syrian government's approval.

*A terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.