3 American troops killed, 25 injured in attack on Jordan base
Three US troops have been killed and dozens injured in a drone attack on a US base near Jordan’s border with 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 a strike in the region after Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel.
Jordan says the attack took place in Syria, not inside Jordan.
There have been other attacks on US bases in the region but so far there have been no casualties reported by the US army.
It is not clear who is behind this latest attack.
President Biden said the US “will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing”.
The White House said Mr Biden was briefed Sunday morning on the attack by US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and other officials.
“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,” Mr Biden said in a statement.
The names of the servicemen killed and injured have not yet been released as officials work to notify their families.
US officials say at least 34 military personnel were being evaluated for possible traumatic brain injury, and that some of the injured soldiers were medically evacuated from the base for further treatment.
They also say that the drone struck the living quarters, which, if confirmed, could explain the high number of casualties.
US Central Command and President Biden said the attack was on a base in northeastern Jordan, near the Syrian border. It was later named by US officials as Tower 22.
Since the war in Gaza began Oct. 7, Iranian-backed militias have struck American military installations in Iraq more than 60 times and in Syria more than 90 times, with a mix of drones, rockets, mortars and ballistic missiles. The attack Sunday was the first targeting American troops in Jordan during the Israel-Hamas war and the first to result in the loss of American lives. Scores of U.S. personnel have been wounded, including some with traumatic brain injuries, during the attacks.
The militias have said that their strikes are in retaliation for Washington’s support for Israel in the war in Gaza and have also said they aim to push U.S. forces out of the region.
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The U.S. in recent months has struck targets in Iraq, Syria and Yemen to respond to attacks on American forces in the region and to deter Iran-backed Houthi rebels from continuing to threaten commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
“I am confident the Biden Administration will respond in a deliberate and proportional manner,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Republicans in Congress said the administration’s approach had failed to deter America’s adversaries in the region.
