3 US troops killed, 34 injured in drone attack by Iran-backed terror group

The drone strike happened during the early hours of the morning close to living quarters which explains the high number of casualties.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Three US soldiers were killed and 34 were injured in a drone attack on Sunday morning at a US military base on the border between Syria and Jordan, Reuters reports.

The Islamic Resistance, an Iran-backed terror group, claimed that it attacked 3 US bases, including the one on the border between Jordan and Syria.

Jordan claimed that the attack took place in Syria and not in Jordan.

Dozens of soldiers were evacuated for treatment, with most of those wounded suffering from traumatic brain injury.

The drone strike happened during the early hours of the morning close to living quarters which explains the high number of casualties.

US President Joe Biden was briefed on the incident by US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and other officials.

Biden said in a statement, “Jill and I join the families and friends of our fallen – and Americans across the country – in grieving the loss of these warriors in this despicable and wholly unjust attack.”

He added, “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.”

Read  UN team flees as Hamas fires on Biden’s Gaza 'pier'

Biden warned, “Have no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing,” he said.

Although the United States has said it isn’t at war, and US officials have expressed concern about the Middle East conflict escalating, the Biden Administration has responded to previous attacks in recent months.

White House officials have said that US bases in Syria and Iraq have been struck 97 times since mid-October.

In December, the US launched airstrikes against Iran-backed terror groups after the wounding of 3 US service members in a drone attack in northern Iraq.

In early January, the US retaliated with a strike that killed a terror militia leader who ordered attacks on US servicemen and women.

In addition, two US Navy seals are presumed dead after going missing off the coast of Somalia while trying to retrieve weapons sent by Iran to arm the Houthis in Yemen.