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Three US service members were killed and more than two dozen wounded overnight in an unmanned drone attack on a military outpost in Jordan, US Central Command says.
President Joe Biden said the strike on Tower 22 near the Syrian border had been carried out by an Iranian-backed militia, and marked a significant escalation in the growing conflict in the Middle East.
Mr Biden said US forces would hold those responsible to account “at a time and in a manner of our choosing”, as facts about the attack were still being gathered.
“Today, America’s heart is heavy,” the president said in a statement.
“We know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.
“These service members embodied the very best of our nation: Unwavering in their bravery. Unflinching in their duty.
“Unbending in their commitment to our country — risking their own safety for the safety of their fellow Americans, and our allies and partners with whom we stand in the fight against terrorism.”
This satellite photo shows a military base known as Tower 22 in northeastern Jordan, where three American troops were killed and ‘many’ were wounded Sunday
(AP)
US Central Command said 25 troops were also injured in the strike. The identities of the deceased are being withheld for 24 hours until their next of kin can be notified.
Tower 22 is situated in northeastern Jordan across the border from the Al-Tanf Garrison in Syria, where US forces have teamed up with local forces to confront Islamic State.
An Iranian militia group known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has reportedly claimed responsibility for three simultaneous drone attacks on US forces, including the deadly Tower 22 assault.
Jordanian officials have claimed that the attack occurred on Syrian territory at the Al-Tanf base.
Joe Biden, at St John Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina, on Sunday. He has vowed to hunt down those responsible for the deadly drone attack ‘at a time and in a manner of our choosing’
(Associated Press)
Speaking to public broadcaster Al-Mamlaka television, Jordanian government spokesperson Muhannad Al Mubaidin denied that the dead and injured US troops had been stationed in their country, Reuters reported.
The deadly drone strikes came amid increasing fears that the Israel-Hamas conflict could grow into a wider regional conflict.
“Last night, three U.S. service members were killed, and many wounded, during an unmanned aerial drone attack on our forces stationed in northeast Jordan near the Syria border,” tweeted president Biden on Sunday. “Jill and I join the families and friends of our fallen in grieving the loss of these warriors in this despicable and wholly unjust attack. Have no doubt: We will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing.”
Tensions have been inflamed by Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip, where more than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed and a United Nations aid agency has warned faces an imminent famine.
Nine countries have suspended funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) over allegations its workers took part in the 7 October attacks in Israel, which claimed approximately 1200 lives. A further 250 people were taken hostage.
Since Israel’s war on Hamas began, US troops stationed in Iraq and Syria have faced regular drone and missile attacks on their bases.
Around 70 US and coalition soldiers have been injured attacks in Iraq and Syria since October, most of which were classified as minor, a military official said during a press briefing last week.
The attack in Jordan marks the first time Americans have been targeted in Jordan during the war.
Jordan is a close US ally in the region, and around 3,000 American troops are stationed there.
Mr Biden, who was in Columbia, South Carolina on Sunday, was briefed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and principal deputy national security adviser Jon Finer.
