Four Americans killed in Syria bombing

Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for a Wednesday bombing in the Kurdish-held Syrian town of Manbij that killed 18 people, including two U.S. service members and two American civilians. The U.S. team was carrying out a routine patrol when a suicide bomber set off explosives outside a restaurant. One of the civilians worked for the Department of Defense, and the other was a contractor, according to U.S. Central Command. Three other U.S. soldiers sustained injuries. Sixteen other people died, including nine civilians and five U.S.-backed Syrian fighters, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The attack comes as the United States begins withdrawing its 2,000 troops from Syria. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. military accomplished its goal in the country by defeating ISIS.