Foreign Affairs
Department Of Defense Identifies 3 Out Of 4 Americans Killed In Syria Attack
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The Department of Defense (DOD) announced Friday the deaths of three of the four Americans killed in Syria Wednesday by a suicide bomber.
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan R. Farmer, 37, of Boynton Beach, Florida; Navy Chief Cryptologic Technician Shannon M. Kent, 35, of upstate New York; and DOD civilian Scott A. Wirtz of St. Louis, Missouri were all killed in Manbij, Syria, “as a result of wounds sustained from a suicide improvised explosive device,” according to a DOD statement.
The fourth American casualty was a private contractor working with the DOD who’s name will not be released because he was not a member of the military, according to reports.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan Farmer, 37, of Boynton Beach, Florida, KIA in Manbij, Syria, January 16, 2019. pic.twitter.com/cOp8V69Vju
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 18, 2019
The bombing is under investigation, the DOD statement continued.
A total of 16 people were killed in Wednesday’s explosion, for which initial reports claimed the Islamic State (ISIS) was responsible. The attack occurred at a restaurant in Manbij that American troops and personnel reportedly frequented on a regular basis.
Scott Wirtz is from #STL and was one of the four Americans kills in a terrorist attack in Syria on Wednesday. Scott was a former Navy SEAL and was working for the DIA in Syria when the explosion happened. Scott, thank you for your service @FOX2now pic.twitter.com/lYQ0rNGL8X
— Katherine Hessel (@KHesselFox2) January 18, 2019
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire visited the restaurant, Palace of the Princes, in July.
“They stop here for chicken and shawarma whenever they have a patrol in the city,” Jassim al-Khalaf, 37, who sells vegetables near the restaurant, told The New York Times. “People here are used to it, so it’s not a new thing to see them.”
Chief Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) Shannon M. Kent, 35, was killed while deployed in Manbij, Syria, Jan. 16, 2019. pic.twitter.com/0HGjrJoQOn
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 18, 2019
The report suggested ISIS also noticed that Americans frequented the restaurant, and was deliberate in its Wednesday attack.
A former Special Operations officer told The Times that ISIS “will attack Americans anywhere and anytime they sense an opportunity.”
The ISIS attack came as President Donald Trump and his White House make attempts to justify their decision to pull U.S. troops from the region, claiming ISIS has been “largely defeated.”
Vice President Mike Pence told the Global Chiefs of Mission conference at the State Department Wednesday, the same day as the bombing, that “the caliphate has crumbled and ISIS has been defeated.”
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