A US base in northeastern Jordan was attacked by a UAV overnight, killing three soldiers.
"On January 28, three US soldiers were killed and 25 others were injured in a UAV attack on a base in northeastern Jordan, near the border with Syria," the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced.
This is the first time US forces in the Middle East have recorded enemy casualties since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023.
"We are gathering information about the attack. We know that the attack was carried out by Iranian-backed militias operating in Iraq and Syria," US President Joe Biden said, adding that Washington would respond.
Meanwhile, Jordanian government spokesman Muhannad al-Mubaidin said the attack that killed three US soldiers did not take place on Jordanian territory. The US base targeted was al-Tanf in Syria.
Iranian officials have not commented on the information.
US soldiers participate in a joint exercise with the Jordanian army in Zarqa, east of the capital Amman in May 2016. Photo: Reuters
US bases in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Syria, have been hit by a series of recent attacks. These attacks were in response to US support for Israel’s offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. US officials said their forces in Iraq and Syria have been attacked more than 158 times by drones, rockets or missiles, but there has been no serious damage to personnel or infrastructure.
US and allied forces have been deployed in Iraq since 2014 to hunt down remnants of the self-proclaimed Islamic State. The US military has about 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria as part of a multinational coalition.
Location of Jordan and Syria. Graphics: BBC
Nhu Tam (According to Reuters, AFP )
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