Drone attack on US forces in Jordan kills three: Biden

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Three US service members have been killed and dozens wounded during an unmanned aerial drone attack on US forces stationed in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border, President Joe Biden and US officials say.

Biden blamed Iran-backed groups for the attack, the first deadly strike against US forces since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October and sent shock waves throughout the Middle East.

“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,” Biden said in a statement.

At least 34 personnel were being evaluated for possible traumatic brain injury, a US official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. 

Two different officials said some wounded US forces were moved out from the base for further treatment.

Two US officials said the drone struck near the barracks early in the morning, which could explain the high number of casualties.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella organisation of Iran-aligned Shia militant groups, claimed attacks on three bases, including one on the Jordan-Syria border.

“We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism. And have no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing,” Biden said in his statement released by the White House.

A senior official with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, directly tied the attack to Israel’s campaign in Gaza.

Military base in Jordan known as Tower 22
An Iraqi Shia militant group may have attacked a US base in Jordan known as Tower 22. (AP PHOTO)

“The killing of three American soldiers is a message to the US administration that unless the killing of innocents in Gaza stops, it must confront the entire nation,” he told Reuters.

“The continued American-Zionist aggression on Gaza is capable of exploding the situation in the region.”

The US military said the attack occurred at a base in northeastern Jordan, near the Syrian border. 

It did not name the base.

US military activity in Jordan can be a sensitive issue, particularly at a time of heightened tensions of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

A person familiar with the matter identified the US base in Jordan that was attacked as Tower 22.

A Jordanian government spokesman told state TV that the militants targeted the US al-Tanf base in Syria – outside Jordanian territory.

with AP

Reuters