Intel: Attack on US troops throws Trump’s Syria plans into chaos

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Calibri; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} span.s2 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none; color: #0463c1; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #0463c1} The death of several Americans today in a suicide attack in the Kurdish-held Syrian city of Manbij has thrown another wrench into US plans for a rapid withdrawal from Syria. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack weeks after President Donald Trump touted the group’s alleged defeat as the impetus for his decision to pull US troops out of Syria.

Why it matters: News of the attack further complicates debate inside the Trump administration on the timing for plans to withdraw 2,200 US troops from Syria. In a brief statement, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said, “The President has been fully briefed and we will continue to monitor the ongoing situation in Syria.”

Questions abound: The fallout from the attack, which killed two service members, a Department of Defense civilian and a Pentagon contractor, remains in question. Meanwhile, Turkish media are reporting that a suicide bomber targeted a meeting of US and French troops with Kurdish militants at a Manbij restaurant. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says 16 people died in the blast, including nine civilians.

All eyes on Trump …: Already dealing with the fallout from a weeks-long government shutdown at home, the US president now has to contend with new facts on the ground in Syria. Trump has pledged to cut down the United States' overseas troop presence, but his Syria policy has drawn fire from the Pentagon and State Department as well as from allies in Congress including Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Trump previously walked back his 30-day deadline for the pullout, but with the mission having little public support, today’s attack may cause Trump to once again press for a speedy retreat.