Caliphate has 'crumbled', Islamic State 'defeated': US VP Pence

January 17, 2019 14:24

The Islamic State has been "defeated" and the caliphate has "crumbled", United States vice president Mike Pence has said, following a fiery explosion in Syria in which two American service members were killed among others.

The vice president was speaking at a global summit of American envoys on Wednesday.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the deadly explosion.

Two US service members -- one Department of Defense civilian and one contractor supporting the DoD were killed -- and three service members injured while conducting a local engagement in Manbij, the US Central Command said.

The blast occurred at a market in the northern Syria town of Manjib.

Initial reports indicate an explosion caused the casualties, and the incident is under investigation, it said.

"We promised under this president's leadership to take the fight to radical Islamic terrorists on our terms on their soil. The president and I couldn't be more proud," Pence said in his address to the global chiefs of mission conference at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department.

Prior to Wednesday's attack, only two US service members had been killed in action in Syria since the start of the campaign in 2014.

"Thanks to the leadership of this commander-in-chief and the courage and sacrifice of our armed forces, we're now actually able to begin to hand off the fight against ISIS in Syria to our coalition partners and we are bringing our troops home. The caliphate has crumbled and ISIS has been defeated," he asserted.

Later in a statement, Pence condemned the terrorist attack in Syria that claimed American lives .

Thanks to the courage of our armed forces, "we have crushed the ISIS caliphate and devastated its capabilities", he said. -- PTI

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