COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — 3 American troops were killed & dozens were injured Sunday in a drone strike in Jordan near the Syrian border. President Joe Biden blamed Iran-backed militias for the first U.S. fatalities after months of strikes by the groups against U.S. forces across the Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas war.
With an increasing the risk of military escalation in the region, U.S. officials were working to conclusively identify the precise group responsible for the attack, but they have assessed that one of several Iranian-backed groups was behind it.
Biden said the U.S. “will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner (of) our choosing.”
The number of troops injured in the attack by the one-way attack drone rose to at least 34.
U.S. troops long have used Jordan, a kingdom bordering Iraq, Israel, the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, Saudi Arabia & Syria, as a basing point.
Since the war in Gaza began Oct. 7, Iranian-backed militias have struck American military installations in Iraq more than 60 times & in Syria more than 90 times, with a mix of drones, rockets, mortars & ballistic missiles. The attack Sunday was the first targeting American troops in Jordan during the Israel-Hamas war & the first to result in the loss of American lives. Scores of U.S. personnel have been wounded, including some with traumatic brain injuries, during the attacks.
The militias have said that their strikes are in retaliation for Washington’s support for Israeli in the war in Gaza & have also said they aim to push U.S. forces out of the region.
The U.S. in recent months has struck targets in Iraq, Syria & Yemen to respond to attacks on American forces in the region & to deter Iran-backed Houthi rebels from continuing to threaten commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
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