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SyriaCoalition targeted in Manbij explosion, fatalities reported: monitorBy Rudaw 17 minutes agoERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Fatalities have been reported following an explosion on a busy shopping street in central Manbij, northern Syria, according to a UK-based conflict monitor.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said US-backed coalition forces were the intended target, but did not specify whether those killed were soldiers or civilians. http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/160120191
Dr. Hawzhin Azeez†@Dr_HawzhinAzeezReports of an explosion in #Manbij with at least two #US soldiers killed and others injured. At least 19 injured according to some estimates. Explosion caused by Turkish backed jihadists. US helicopters evacuating wounded soldiers.https://twitter.com/Dr_HawzhinAzeez/status/1085502032222384130
Senator Lindsey Graham, center, dined at the Palace of Princes restaurant in July. He had “a terrific lunch,†he said.CreditCharlie Savage/The New York Times
A Favorite Restaurant in Syria Led ISIS to AmericansBy Ben Hubbard and Eric Schmitt Jan. 17, 2019BEIRUT — For American troops posted in the dusty flatlands of northern Syria, the Palace of the Princes restaurant in Manbij offered a pleasant place to stop for grilled chicken, French fries or its locally renowned shawarma sandwich.The Americans liked the food so much that they dropped in frequently, often many times a week, residents said. Visiting officials were welcomed to red booths and water pipes; two American senators dined there in July.“They stop here for chicken and shawarma whenever they have a patrol in the city,†said Jassim al-Khalaf, 37, who sells vegetables nearby. “People here are used to it, so it’s not a new thing to see them.â€Read more at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/world/middleeast/syria-bombing-manbij-attack.html
OpinionsWhat the Americans who were killed in Syria were fighting for David Ignatius...It’s clear, too, that coalition forces in Manbij were distracted from the Islamic State because the more immediate danger there came from Turkish-backed opposition groups. These pro-Turkish groups have assassinated or attempted to assassinate several leaders of the Manbij Military Council, the U.S.- and Kurdish-backed group that’s trying to stabilize the city. Worried about Turkish threats to attack, the local security forces couldn’t concentrate full-time on the Islamic State.Turkey’s obsession with the supposed Kurdish terrorist menace may have helped put U.S. forces at risk. Wednesday’s tragedy should send a message to Ankara, as well as the White House: Stay focused on the mission of destroying the Islamic State until that job is closer to being finished.As the United States should have learned, the Islamic State is like a cancer that hides in bones and tissues, not quite extinguished. The moment you think it’s gone, it pounces back, hungry as ever, devouring the healthy organs.https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/what-the-americans-who-were-killed-in-syria-were-fighting-for/2019/01/17/67cea3e4-1aa5-11e9-8813-cb9dec761e73_story.html
