3 Service Members Killed in Drone Attack

(RepublicanPress.org) – Ever since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, the number of strikes launched by Iranian-backed militant groups in the Middle East against US troops has increased significantly. Reuters recently reported there have been more than 150 such attacks in the region, and the United States has responded with air strikes. The most recent attack against American troops ended in multiple deaths, and President Joe Biden promised retaliatory action.

On January 28, US Central Command announced that a drone strike at a base in Jordan, near the Syrian border, killed three service members and injured at least 34 others. The president also released a statement about the tragedy. Biden said the attack was still under investigation, but the officials “know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups” in Iraq and Syria. The Commander-in-Chief called the fallen soldiers “patriots in the highest sense,” promising the nation will always remember their sacrifice. He promised justice and a commitment to continue fighting terrorism.

3 American service members killed, 25 injured in drone attack on base in Jordan, U.S. says https://t.co/QFKa2Z3tKN

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) January 28, 2024

NPR reported that the attack happened at Tower 22, which supports the Al-Tanf Garrison in Syria. About 350 people from the US Army and Air Force are currently deployed there. A US official told the outlet that some of the injuries from the attack were severe, including head wounds and at least one spinal injury. The service members killed were identified as Kennedy Ladon Sanders, Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, and William Jerome Rivers.

Iran was quick to deny any involvement. However, an Iran-backed group — the Islamic Resistance — operating in Iraq claimed responsibility. The group said it was payback for the Palestinian deaths in Gaza and America’s presence in the region.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III released a statement after the attack, saying he was “outraged and deeply saddened” about the wounded and dead soldiers and was mourning the loss. He also echoed the president, stating the US would “respond at a time and place” they choose. Austin added that neither Biden nor he would “tolerate attacks on American forces.”