A Pentagon spokeswoman said that only two US troops had previously been killed in action in Syria. Last month, US President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement that he would withdraw all 2,000 US troops from Syria after concluding that Islamic State had been defeated there. A militia source in north Syria also said two US troops had been killed. "An explosion hit near a restaurant, targeting the Americans, and there were some forces from the Manbij Military Council with them," one said. The Manbij Military Council militia has controlled the town since US-backed Kurdish-led forces took it from Islamic State in 2016.

Source: Dhaka Tribune January 16, 2019 15:56 UTC