Erdogan: Five American Soldiers Killed in Manbij Explosion

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, stated that the explosion on Wednesday, January 16, in the city of Manbij, Syria, resulted in 20 deaths, including five American soldiers. A U.S. official had previously told Reuters that four American soldiers were killed and three others were injured in the explosion. Other news sources had reported the number of American soldiers killed as two. However, Erdogan, in a press conference with his Croatian counterpart in Ankara, said, "According to the information I have received, five American soldiers and a total of 20 people have been killed." This explosion, caused by a suicide bomber, is considered the deadliest incident for American soldiers in Syria since they have been stationed there since 2015, an event that the group known as the "Islamic State" or ISIS has claimed responsibility for. In December, Donald Trump announced the victory over ISIS and stated that the United States would withdraw its forces from Syria, a decision that faced criticism in the U.S. Congress and led to the resignations of Jim Mattis, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and Brett McGurk, the U.S. representative in the global coalition against ISIS. However, this decision was welcomed by Turkey, which considers the Kurdish People's Protection Units as its enemy, a group that has been an ally of the U.S. in the fight against ISIS. In his statements on Wednesday, Erdogan again praised Trump's decision, calling it "honorable." He also stated that he does not believe the explosion today in Manbij was a result of the U.S. President's decision to withdraw American forces from Syria. Trump had previously stated that it is Syria, Russia, and Iran that must now fight the remnants of ISIS.