{"id":55061,"date":"2019-03-27T00:59:01","date_gmt":"2019-03-27T00:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/03\/27\/7-us-backed-kurdish-fighters-killed-in-isis-attack-in-manbij\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:57:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:57:49","slug":"7-us-backed-kurdish-fighters-killed-in-isis-attack-in-manbij","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/27\/7-us-backed-kurdish-fighters-killed-in-isis-attack-in-manbij\/","title":{"rendered":"7 US-backed Kurdish fighters killed in ISIS attack in Manbij"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BEIRUT \u2014 The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack on a checkpoint of U.S.-backed forces in the northern Syrian town on Manbij that killed seven fighters on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The attack indicates that ISIS can still launch deadly insurgent strikes and is far from being completely defeated, despite losing all the territory <\/a>it once controlled in Iraq and Syria. Islamic State militants were blamed for several attacks in recent months in and around Manbij, which was declared liberated in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharfan Darwish of the Manbij Military Council told The Associated Press that the attack came shortly after midnight at one of the entrances to Manbij, targeting the fighters who “were carrying out their mission of protecting” the town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group, said an ISIS sleeper cell carried out the attack, and that three other Manbij Military Council fighters were wounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\t