2019 Manbij bombing explained
The Manbij bombing occurred on 16 January 2019 when a suicide bomber targeted a busy market street in Manbij known to be frequented by American soldiers during the Syrian civil war.
Background
In the Syrian Civil War, the city of Manbij was taken by the Free Syrian Army in 2012, and then by ISIS in 2014.[2] In 2016, the city was taken by the American-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in the Manbij offensive.[2] [3]
The Palace of the Princes restaurant was popular with Americans, located on a crowded downtown street in Manbij.[3] U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Jeanne Shaheen ate there when they visited Syria in July 2018.[3]
The attack
Several American military personnel were inside the Palace of Princes restaurant when a suicide bomber triggered an explosion outside the restaurant around midday on Wednesday, 16 January 2019.[4] The bomber mixed into a crowd of people visiting a nearby vegetable market and detonated his explosive vest near the restaurant entrance, igniting a fireball that left the dead and wounded scattered in the street.[3] Rescue workers rushed the wounded to the hospital, and military helicopters landed on a nearby soccer field to take the dead and wounded Americans and civilians to medical facilities.[3]
Casualties
The U.S. Department of Defense released a statement on 18 January 2019, identifying their three employees: a soldier, a sailor, and an intelligence expert.[5] Defense contractor Valiant Integrated Services identified one of their employees as the fourth American killed.[6] The four deceased Americans were:
- Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan R. Farmer, 37, of Boynton Beach, Florida. Farmer was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Kentucky.[7]
- Navy Chief Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) Shannon M. Kent, 35, of upstate New York. Kent was assigned to Cryptologic Warfare Activity 66, based at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.[8] Her husband was Joe Kent, an army officer who would later run for a U.S. House seat.
- DOD civilian intelligence officer Scott A. Wirtz of St. Louis, Missouri. Wirtz was assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency as an operations support specialist.[9]
- Civilian contractor Ghadir (Jasmine) Taher of East Point, Georgia. Taher worked for Valiant Integrated Services as an interpreter for U.S. troops in Syria.[10]
The total death toll is believed to be 19, including 15 local SDF fighters.[1] Three other American servicemen were also injured.[11] The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility.[12]
Aftermath
U.S. President Donald Trump paid tribute to the fallen Americans during a trip to Dover Air Force Base in the US state of Delaware on 19 January, where their remains were received.[13]
A second joint convoy of U.S. and allied Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria was hit in al-Hasakah 5 days later, there were no casualties, with two Kurdish fighters were lightly wounded in the blast.[14]
References
36.5214°N 37.9525°W
Notes and References
- Web site: 4 members of the Coalition, 15 of the civilians and local members die in the first bombing of its kind by a suicide bomber targeting the Coalition since it entered Syria. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 19 January 2019.
- News: Moussa . Jenan . Doornbos . Harald . 31 May 2018 . The End of the World Will Start Here in Manbij . The New York Times .
- News: Hubbard . Ben . Schmitt . Eric . 17 January 2019 . A Favorite Restaurant in Syria Led ISIS to Americans . The New York Times .
- News: Suicide bomber kills four U.S. citizens in Syrian blast; ISIS claims responsibility. USAToday. 16 January 2019. John. Bacon.
- Web site: DOD Identifies Three Operation Inherent Resolve Casualties. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. 18 January 2019.
- News: Branigin . William . Mettler . Katie . Ryan . Missy . 18 January 2019 . Americans slain in Syria attack: A Green Beret, a former SEAL and two language specialists . The Washington Post .
- News: Cohen . Howard . South Florida soldier is among the four Americans killed in Syria suicide bombing . Miami Herald . 18 January 2019.
- News: Santistevan . Ryan . Dutchess sailor killed in Syria caring, accomplished . Poughkeepsie Journal . 18 January 2019.
- News: Benchaabane . Nassim . Hunn . David . 20 January 2019 . 'The ultimate hero': Civilian from St. Louis among dead in Syrian suicide bombing . St. Louis Post-Dispatch .
- News: Redmon . Jeremy . East Point woman among 19 killed in suicide bombing in Syria . Atlanta Journal-Constitution . 18 January 2019.
- Web site: Cohen . Zachary . Stracqualursi . Veronica . Liptak . Kevin . 17 January 2019 . US service members killed in ISIS-claimed attack in Syria . CNN.
- News: Suicide bomber kills four U.S. citizens in Syrian blast; ISIS claims responsibility. USA Today. 16 January 2019. John. Bacon.
- News: Stewart . Ian . Trump Travels To Dover AFB For Dignified Transfer Of 4 Americans Killed In Syria . NPR . 19 January 2019.
- News: ISIL targets joint US-Kurdish convoy in northeastern Syria . Al Jazeera . 21 January 2019.
