3 US Soldiers Killed, More Injured In Drone Attack On US Base In Jordan
The United States says that three US soldiers were killed and at least 34 were injured in an overnight attack on a base in Jordan on January 28. The attack is the first fatal attack conducted by Iranian-backed militias since the start of a campaign of attacks on American bases in Iraq and Syria in October 2023.
The attack by a one-way attack drone struck Tower 22 of the Jordanian Defense Network, near Jordan’s borders with Syria and Iraq. According to Central Command, the base hosts approximately 350 Army and Air Force personnel conducting a number of “key support functions”, including support for the U.S.-led coalition for the lasting defeat of ISIS. The base is near the al-Tanf base in Syria, which hosts Syrian opposition forces working with the U.S. against ISIS, as well as the Rukban refugee camp adjacent to al-Tanf.
“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,” said President Joe Biden in a January 28 statement, vowing at an event in South Carolina that “we shall respond”.
Central Command says that out of at least 34 injured U.S. personnel, eight have been medically evacuated from Jordan for a higher level of medical care, but are in stable condition. In a statement, Central Command said the number of injured troops may rise as others seek “”follow-on care” after the attack. It added that the identities of the deceased service members would be withheld until 24 hours after next of kin were notified. The dead have since been listed as Sgt. William Rivers, 46, Willingboro, N.J., Spc. Kennedy Sanders, 24, Waycross, Ga. and Spc. Breonna Moffett, 23, Savannah, Ga. All three served with the 926th Engineer Brigade based at Fort Moore, Ga.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella term used by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq like Kata’ib Hezbollah, has claimed responsibility for the attack. On Monday, Iran sought to distance itself from direct involvement in the attack, with Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani saying that Iran was not involved in the decision making of how the “Axis of Resistance” groups it trains and arms “defend Palestinians or their own countries”.
Iranian backed groups have used artillery rockets, one-way attack drones, and short range ballistic missiles in over 158 attacks since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7. While most attacks have only resulted in minor injuries to U.S. and anti-ISIS coalition troops if any, a U.S. contractor died of a heart attack when seeking shelter during a false alarm, and a U.S. service member was critically injured in a December 2023 attack on Erbil Air Base.
The United States has conducted retaliatory airstrikes on facilities used by Iranian-backed groups in Syria and Iraq, and killed a senior commander of one group in a drone strike in Baghdad earlier this month. However, the retaliatory strikes have not deterred further attacks, with this latest attack coming shortly after an announcement that U.S.-Iraq talks on the future of the anti-ISIS coalition will begin soon.