Syria: IED kills two US-led coalition personnel in Manbij March 29

Event

At around 23:00 (local time) on Thursday, March 29, an improvised explosive device (IED) killed two US-led coalition personnel, including at least one US soldier, and wounded five others in Manbij. Further details about the event are still emerging. According to US military officials, an investigation into the incident was ongoing as of Friday, March 30.

Context

Manbij has recently experienced several protests, explosions, as well as an assassination attempt on a member of the US-backed Manbij Military Council. The town is at the forefront of tensions between Turkish and US-backed forces, as on March 19 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to expand Turkish military operations to the town to as part of its effort to rid northern Syria of Kurdish fighters, including the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). The YPG is considered by Ankara to be terrorist organization and ally of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which regularly carries out attacks and clashes with security forces in Turkey.

Advice

Due to extremely poor security conditions, Western governments generally advise against all travel to Syria, with some banning travel to the country. Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to any travel to Syria.