U.S.-backed SDF vows to escalate operations against Islamic State in Syria

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces vowed on Thursday to ramp up attacks on Islamic State remnants and cells, a day after a bomb attack killed two U.S. soldiers in northern Syria. "With the help of the (U.S.-led) coalition, we will escalate our military operations to eliminate Deash remnants and chase down their sleeper cells," the SDF alliance, led by the Kurdish YPG militia, said in a statement. The Islamic State bomb attack on Wednesday also killed two civilians working for the U.S. military, weeks after President Donald Trump said the jihadists had been defeated and that he would withdraw all U.S. forces. (Reporting by Ellen Francis; Editing by Toby Chopra)