Staff Reports
The first US service members to die after more than three months of attacks on American forces in the Middle East were killed Saturday in a drone strike on a US base in Jordan. The deaths come in addition to two US Navy SEALs lost in an attempt to keep weapons from Iran from reaching Houthi rebels in Yemen. A news release from US Central Command stated that “three US service members were killed and 25 injured from a one-way attack UAS that impacted at a base in northeast Jordan, near the Syria border.” The identities of the servicemembers will be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified.
3 Troops Killed in Jordan, At Least 2 Dozen Injured After Devastating Drone Attack: Report via @WestJournalism https://t.co/gOmVG7l91W
— Philip Stock (@p11b30) January 28, 2024
A report from CNN said that the total number of wounded Americans is likely to surpass 30. The attack took place at Tower 22 in Jordan, near the border with Syria. The drone was fired from Syria and believed to have been launched by an Iran-backed militia group. In a statement, President Joe Biden said the United States “will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing.”
Through Friday, there have been more than 158 attacks on American and allied forces in Iraq and Syria. About 70 American troops have been injured in those attacks. Sunday’s attack on Tower 22 was reported to be the first since the attacks began in October, according to CNN.
About 2,000 troops are stationed at an air base in Azraq, Jordan, according to The New York Times. Jordan also holds support personnel for a US base in Al Tanf in Syria. In an interview with ABC recorded prior to the attack, Gen. CQ Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, defended the Biden administration’s military approach to the Middle East. He stated, “Do they want us in a full-scale war?…the goal is to deter them. And we don’t want to go down a path of greater escalation that drives to a much broader conflict within the region.” Brown emphasized the importance of deterring conflict while protecting US forces.
