The devastation caused by an ISIS suicide bomber who killed two American soldiers and two defense contractors in Syria has been laid bare in new images.
Twisted hunks of metal lay in the street in front of shuttered shops covered with scorch marks, as Syrian civilians walk past the destruction and shopkeepers attempt to salvage what they can.
Three American soldiers were also injured in the explosion at restaurant, in the main market in the city of Manbij, in deadliest attack on US personnel of the Syrian war.
Local reports suggest the soldiers were eating inside alongside their Kurdish allies when they were killed.
In total 19 people died in the attack, which happened in territory controlled by Kurdish forces working alongside American troops.
New images have emerged showing the extent of the destruction at the restaurant in Manbij where two US soldiers and two defense workers were killed on Wednesday
The soldiers were inside this restaurant in the city of Manbij along with Kurdish troops when the bomber detonated his vest outside. Local reports suggested they were eating at the time
The suicide attack came after Donald Trump ordered US troops to withdraw from Syria, saying that ISIS had been defeated
The restaurant is located in the main market in Manbij, which has been under Kurdish control since they seized it in 2016
In total 19 people were killed in the attack, observer groups said, with at least nine of those fatalities believed to be civilians
Terrifying video has also emerged showing the moment the bomb detonated from a CCTV camera further down the street.
Manbij has become a flashpoint for military activity since Donald Trump ordered US troops to withdraw from the country, claiming ISIS had been defeated.
Kurdish forces fear that Turkey, which will be taking over anti-terror activities in Syria after America withdraws, is preparing to launch an all-out assault.
They have requested help from Bashar al-Assad’s forces stationed in Damascus, which began arriving toward the end of last year.
It was against this backdrop of tensions that the bomb detonated on Wednesday.
Vice president Mike Pence paid tribute to the dead Americans – but also claimed that the ‘ISIS caliphate has been crushed’.
Pence first made the claim in a State Department speech and doubled down on it in an afternoon statement invoking President Donald Trump.
A Syrian boy starts cleaning up inside one of the buildings stuck by the blast, which killed at least nine civilians
A Syrian shopkeeper cleans up his premises after the attack, which was the deadliest on American troops since they first became involved in the conflict in 2015
A terrifying video shows the moment an ISIS suicide bomber killed two US soldiers and two American civilians in a horrific attack in Syria. The video shows civilians walking down a street near what is believed to be a restaurant just moments before the bomb goes off
According to local reports, the soldiers were inside the restaurant when the bomber detonated the device outside
Only two servicemen had been killed prior to Wednesday’s blast, along with two non-combatants.
It comes after President Donald Trump ordered US troops to withdraw from the country, claiming ISIS had been defeated.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 16 people died in total including at least nine civilians while dozens more were wounded.
ISIS propaganda agency Amaq said the terror group was responsible for the attack.
‘A suicide attack carried out with an explosives vest hit an international coalition patrol in the city of Manbij,’ the organization said via social media.
Civilians were thrown to the ground by the blast as others are seen running for their lives (pictured)
The attack marks the biggest single loss of life by US force during the Syrian war. Only two servicemen had been killed prior to Wednesday’s blast, along with two non-combatants
Other video from the scene showed a coalition helicopter landing to take the injured away.
One of the men was said to have been ‘very seriously’ hurt while the other escaped with non-life-threatening injuries’.
Photos showed blood plastered along the restaurant’s pillars when the smoke from the explosion finally settled.
The blast comes as the U.S. begins withdrawing from Syria following Trump’s shock announcement that he was bringing all troops home.
Photos showed blood plastered along the restaurant’s pillars when the smoke from the explosion finally settled
A total of 16 people, including at least nine civilians, were killed in the blast according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
Ground equipment started being withdrawn from the country last Thursday, according to CNN, with the exact timetable for full withdrawal unclear.
While Trump has made it clear that all 2,000 troops would be leaving with Turkey taking over the fight against ISIS, other administration officials have been less clear.
John Bolton, Trump’s National Security Adviser, said the US would not leave until it had received guarantees from Turkey that its Kurdish allies would not be attacked.
The attack’s timing was seen by critics of the pullout as evidence that it should be stopped – but Pence claimed hours after a bloody attack in Syria on U.S. forces that America and its allies had ‘crushed’ the terror group known as ISIS.
Pence first made the claim in a State Department speech and doubled down on it in an afternoon statement invoking President Donald Trump.
‘President Trump and I condemn the terrorist attack in Syria that claimed American lives and our hearts are with the loved ones of the fallen,’ Pence wrote. ‘We honor their memory and we will never forget their service and sacrifice.’
He went on to say: ‘We have crushed the ISIS caliphate and devastated its capabilities. 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.’
Vice President Mike Pence claimed hours after a bloody attack in Syria on U.S. forces that America and its allies had ‘crushed’ the terror group known as ISIS
Earlier on Wednesday, after news of the attack had spread, he had claimed in a Washington, D.C. at the Global Chiefs of Mission Conference that ISIS had been defeated.
‘Thanks to the leadership of this commander in chief and the courage and sacrifice of our armed forces, we’re now actually able to begin to hand off the fight against ISIS in Syria to our coalition partners, and we are bringing out troops home,’ Pence said. ‘The caliphate has crumbled and ISIS has been defeated.’
A statement from the White House press secretary handled the matter more delicately.
‘Our deepest sympathies and love go out to the families of the brave American heroes who were killed today in Syria. We also pray for the soldiers who were wounded in the attack. Our service members and their families have all sacrificed so much for our country,’ Sarah Sanders said.
The deaths prompted a forceful statement from Republican senator Lindsey Graham Wednesday faulting Trump for having ‘set in motion’ enthusiasm by the enemy in Syria.
Graham’s dramatic statement associating Trump’s words with the bloody attack Americans came from a loyalist who has golfed frequently with the president, although he has also tried to the president out of a policy he has called dangerous to Americans.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, Graham briefly stopped the proceedings to condemn the attack and call out the president for his words.
‘I’m glad you mentioned Iraq and other places where we’re fighting to help people,’ Graham said at the hearing about Trump’s attorney general nominee William Barr.
‘There was an attack today on a restaurant, I think it’s the same restaurant I visited with the Kurds and Arabs and others in Manbij, Syria, to hold on some representative government, and unfortunately I believe some American advisers were killed there by ISIS,’ Graham began.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham delivered blunt remarks that called out President Trump for his statements on Syria that he said gave ‘enthusiasm’ to the enemy
The blast comes almost a month after President Trump called for US forces to withdraw from Syria, claiming the ISIS had been defeated
American troops (pictured) began patrolling Manbij several weeks ago in an attempt to stave off attacks by Turkish-backed Syrian forces which occupy several nearby towns
While Trump has made it clear that all 2,000 troops would be leaving with Turkey taking over the fight against ISIS, other administration officials have been less clear
‘My concern, by the statements made by President Trump, is that you set in motion enthusiasm by the enemy we’re fighting. You make people we’re trying to help wonder about us,’ he added, speaking of the local population and Kurdish fighters the U.S. has supported.
‘And as they get bolder the people we’re trying to help are going to get more uncertain,’ Graham said. ‘I saw this in Iraq. And now I’m seeing it in Syria.’
The US soldiers and civilians were in Manbij, which has been occupied by Kurdish YPG forces since they seized it from ISIS in 2016, and has become a flashpoint in the withdrawal plans.
The YPG fear that, after America has gone, towns like Manbij will be attacked by Turkey in an attempt to drive them out.
American troops began patrolling Manbij several weeks ago in an attempt to stave off attacks by Turkish-backed Syrian forces which occupy several nearby towns.
Kurdish forces also reached out to Damascus, which is controlled by dictator Bashar al-Assad, for assistance as tensions grew.
Syrian government troops began massing near the town shortly after Christmas, according to The Guardian.