Islamic State Again Attacks U.S. Troops in Syria
DOW JONES & COMPANY, INC. 12:32 PM ET 1/21/2019
BEIRUT--Islamic State claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing targeting U.S.-led coalition forces in Syria in its second such attack in days, highlighting the threat the extremist group still poses as it reverts to a guerrilla- style insurgency after losing most of its territory.
The suicide bomber on Monday drove a car rigged with explosives into a convoy of U.S. troops and local fighters at a checkpoint in Hasakeh province, Islamic State said in a statement carried by the group's media arm, Amaq.
The coalition confirmed the attack via Twitter and said there were no U.S. casualties. "We will continue to review the situation and provide updates as appropriate," the coalition said.
The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said on its website there were no deaths or injuries in the suicide attack, adding it resulted only in material damage on the joint convoy.
The U.K.-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported, however, that the attack resulted in the death of five SDF fighters and injured two American soldiers.
If Islamic State is confirmed to be behind the attack, it would be the latest example of the group's turn toward guerilla tactics and its continued targeting of American troops and their local allies, even as the U.S. prepares to withdraw from Syria under orders from President Trump.
On Wednesday, four Americans were among more than a dozen killed in an Islamic State-claimed suicide bombing in the northern city of Manbij, the deadliest day for the U.S. in Syria. Those killed included two U.S. military service members, a civilian Defense Department employee and a Pentagon contractor.
Monday's attack took place more than 200 miles east of Manbij, the site of Wednesday's bombing.
As Islamic State loses the last remnants of its once vast self-declared caliphate, it has reverted to the individual attacks it used in its early days to strike targets and sow fear.
The U.S.-backed forces, meanwhile, have continued to advance on the ground. The Observatory reported on Monday that nearly 3,000 people fled the terror group's shrinking pocket on the Syrian-Iraqi border on Sunday night and through the day. Among them were 200 Islamic State militants who surrendered themselves to U.S.-backed forces late Sunday.
In the wake of last week's bombing, U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces vowed to escalate their military operations against the terror group and root out its sleeper cells.
But attacks like the one last week and on Monday indicate that Islamic State is still capable of carrying out sophisticated strikes requiring military intelligence. Wednesday's attack targeted a meeting between coalition forces and locals at a restaurant that was frequented by coalition troops and even visiting American politicians.
--Dion Nissenbaum and Nancy A. Youssef in Washington contributed to this article.
Write to Raja Abdulrahim at raja.abdulrahim@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
01-21-191232ET
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