Three U.S. service members were killed and 25 others were injured in a drone attack on an outpost in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border, U.S. Central Command confirmed on Sunday.
“On Jan. 28, three U.S. service members were killed and 25 injured from a one-way attack UAS that impacted at a base in northeast Jordan, near the Syria border.
As a matter of respect for the families and in accordance with DoD policy, the identities of the servicemembers will be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
“Updates will be provided as they become available,” the statement added. The White House said President Biden was briefed Sunday morning by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, and principal deputy national security adviser Jon Finer about the attack, which marked a significant escalation as the first time U.S. troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war began.
U.S. troops long have used Jordan as a basing point, and the attack took place in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border.
The Defense Department has not confirmed the exact location of the attack, but The Wall Street Journal cited a U.S. official in reporting it happened at Tower 22, a small outpost in northeast Jordan located close to Al Tanf Garrison in southeastern Syria, where U.S. forces have collaborated with local partners combating Islamic State militants.
Biden blasted “radical Iran-backed militant groups” in reacting to the attack. “Today, America’s heart is heavy. 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,” he said. “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.”
