Three US troops were Sunday killed and 25 injured in a drone attack on a US base Jordan, the US military said.
US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement the casualties were caused by a drone attack at a base in northeast Jordan, near the Syria border.
The killing of three Americans at Tower 22 in Jordan near the border with Syria is a significant escalation of an already-precarious situation in the Middle East. Officials said the drone was fired by Iran-backed militants and appeared to come from Syria.
US President Joe Biden said that the attack was carried out by “radical Iran-backed militant groups”.
This is the first time US soldiers have been killed in the region after Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel.
There have been attacks on US bases in the region but so far there have been no casualties reported by the US army.
“While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” Mr Biden said in a statement.
“Have no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing.
“Jill and I join the families and friends of our fallen – and Americans across the country – in grieving the loss of these warriors in this despicable and wholly unjust attack,” the statement added.
At least 34 personnel were being evaluated for possible traumatic brain injury, a U.S. official said.
“While we’re still gathering facts, this is most assuredly the work of an Iranian-backed militia group,” a second official said.
The deaths marked the first fatalities of U.S. troops in the region since war began in Gaza.
As of Friday, there had been more than 158 attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, though officials have described the constant volley of drones, rockets, and missiles as unsuccessful as they have frequently not caused serious injury or damage to infrastructure.
Biden said the attack occurred on Saturday night.
The attack is a major escalation of the already tense situation in the Middle East, where war broke out in Gaza after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 which killed 1,200. Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza has killed over 26,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry.
While the United States has thus far maintained an official line that Washington is not at war in the region, it has made strikes against targets of Yemen’s Houthi groups that have been attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
“We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism. And have no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing,” Biden said in his statement released by the White House.
The killing of three Americans also comes as the US and Iraq are expected to begin talks soon about the future of the US military presence in the country.
By Agencies
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