He declined to comment on whether Wednesday’s attack will affect US plans to withdraw from Syria.
“Our fight against terrorism is ongoing and we will remain vigilant and committed to its destruction,” Patrick Shanahan, acting Secretary of Defense, told reporters in Washington.
“Today is a stark reminder of the dangerous missions that men and women in uniform perform on our behalf each and every day,” he said.
ISIS claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a busy street in Manbij.
The Pentagon confirmed that four Americans were killed – two soldiers, one Department of Defense civilian, and one contractor.
Nine local civilians and five fighters of the Manbij Military Council were also killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Women and children were among the civilians killed, said the Manbij Military Council in a statement.
A statement from US Vice President Mike Pence revealed the attack has not changed the White House’s determination to get out of Syria.
“Thanks to the courage of our Armed Forces, we have crushed the ISIS caliphate and devastated its capabilities,” he said in statement condemning the attack.
“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,” he said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speculated that the attack may have been an attempt to stop the US from pulling its forces out of Syria, Anadolu Agency reported.
US President Donald Trump announced last month that he was bringing some 2,000 US soldiers home from Syria, saying that ISIS was defeated.
Senator Lindsey Graham, who enjoys a close relationship with Trump, urged the president to re-think his strategy in Syria.
Trump’s determination to pull out of Syria has “set in motion enthusiasm by the enemy we’re fighting. You make people we’re trying to help wonder about us. And as they get bolder, the people we’re trying to help are going to get more uncertain,” said Graham.
He asked Trump to “look long and hard at where he’s headed in Syria,” advising him to stay committed in Syria.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, condemning the suicide attack, said that commitment to the Manbij roadmap they formulated with the United States is the way to go to “establish stability and security in this region.”
It reiterated that it wants to see this plan completed as soon as possible.
Kurdish forces and their friends are worried that a US withdrawal would leave them exposed to an offensive by Turkey. Ankara considers the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) a terror group and equates them with ISIS.
A Turkish proposal, seemingly endorsed by Trump, is to establish a 32-kilometre deep “safe zone” along the Syria-Turkey border. This scheme would encompass urban centres like Kobane and Qamishli.
The YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have endorsed the idea of a safe zone that could be a buffer between them and Turkey. However, like Kurdish leader Aldar Khalil said earlier, they insist that any plan would have to take place with “international guarantees” and “prohibiting any external intervention.”
