DAMASCUS – Seven U.S military soldiers have been killed, wounded in a bombBlast in Syria.

Two coalition personnel have been killed and five were wounded by animprovised explosive device in Syria.

A U.S. military statement says the incident occurred on Thursday night andthat the wounded personnel were being evacuated for further medicaltreatment.

Friday’s statement did not say where the explosion occurred and did notstate the casualties are Americans.

A Syrian official had told The Associated Press earlier that a roadsidebomb exploded in the mixed Arab-Kurdish town of Manbij. Mohammed Abu Adel,the head of the Manbij Military Council, an Arab-Kurdish US.-backed groupin the town, says the bomb went off hundreds of meters away from a securityheadquarters that houses the council just before midnight on Thursday.

The coalition statement said details pertaining to the incident are beingwithheld pending further investigation.