Eyewitnesses in Manbij told that leaders of the local military council and a certain delegation were at the site of the blast.

Axar.az reports citing Sputnik that according to them, the explosion occurred near a cafe where the leaders of the council and guests from the delegation, "whose identity has not yet been established", had gathered.

"Six civilians were killed and 19 others wounded as a result of an explosion in the center of the city of Manbij, while a US military patrol was passing", Al Jazeera said.

The death toll was later revised up to 9 killed, according to the broadcaster.

Two US soldiers and a fighter of the Manbij Military Council were killed by the explosion in Manbij City. The perpetrators are believed to be sleeper cells of Turkish-backed jihadistshttps://t.co/49Hh6dZ1GA pic.twitter.com/npNcnPQCSH

— Syrian Civil War Map (@CivilWarMap) January 16, 2019