US Soldiers Injured in Drone Attacks

(RepublicanPress.org) – Heightened tensions in the Middle East from the Israel/Hamas war prompted the Bureau of Consular Affairs with the US Department of State to adjust its travel advisory for Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. However, the US still has several bases in that part of the world, including in Iraq and Syria. Recently, drone strikes injured several military personnel in the Middle East.

On October 18, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that three drone strikes attacked US and Coalition forces in Iraq. While the military was able to fend off two of the drones in Western Iraq, destroying one and damaging the other, the instance didn’t end without injury. The press release stated some Coalition force members suffered minor injuries. The second attack involving the third drone happened in northern Iraq. US forces destroyed that particular drone and no one was injured. Neither instance interrupted operations, and CENTCOM assured it was closely monitoring the situation.

24 American soldiers injured in drone attacks on US bases in Iraq, Syria: reports https://t.co/L6OLEBzKJJ pic.twitter.com/7B7GGBjusH

— New York Post (@nypost) October 25, 2023

NBC News later reported that there were drone attacks in both Iraq and in Syria, saying that CENTCOM revealed 24 US military personnel were wounded in total. According to the outlet, the first attack, which involved at least two drones, was at the al-Tanf military base in southern Syria, injuring 20. Then they said the other strikes happened at the al-Asad base in western Iraq and injured the remaining four people. One American civilian contractor died during the incident from a heart attack but was not a victim of the drone strike. That person was sheltering in place at the time.

However, CNN gave a different number on October 25, reporting that a Pentagon spokesperson said only 21 personnel were injured in the attacks.

Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said there have been at least 14 strikes just in the past week against US and coalition forces in Syria and Iraq. While he didn’t mention who conducted the attacks, Ryder suggested that Iran had some involvement.