Three U.S. service members lost their lives, and dozens were wounded during an unmanned aerial drone attack on a base in northeast Jordan, U.S. Central Command said Sunday.
This attack is the first time U.S. soldiers have lost their lives since the beginning of the Gaza war.
President Biden, in a statement, stated, “While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know that it was carried out by radical, Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.”
At least 34 servicemen are currently undergoing medical assessments to determine the extent of injuries sustained during the attack, according to American officials cited by Reuters.
Sources suggest that the attack was carried out by pro-Iranian radical groups near Tower 22 military outpost, a location close to the Al-Tanf Garrison in Syria. Al-Tanf Garrison has been a critical location where U.S. and local forces have been engaged in combat against the Islamic State.
Leading up to this unfortunate incident, U.S. and coalition forces in the region had faced over 158 previous attacks. Most of these incidents had been categorized as minor due to the absence of severe injuries or significant damage, although approximately 70 U.S. and coalition soldiers had sustained injuries in these prior attacks.