President Biden and the First Lady arrived at Dover military airport to receive the bodies of three US soldiers killed in a UAV attack on a US base in Jordan.
US President Joe Biden, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown arrived at Dover Air Force Base on February 2 to attend a ceremony to receive the bodies of three US soldiers killed in a drone attack on a base in northeastern Jordan, near the Syrian border, last weekend.
The three servicemen’s caskets, draped in American flags, were unloaded from a C-5 Galaxy transport plane, as President Biden and senior officials placed their hands on their chests in silence. During the 15-minute ceremony, apart from commanders shouting military orders, the only person who spoke was the US Air Force chaplain, who read a prayer.
US President Joe Biden attended the funeral on February 2. Photo: AP
Zinc coffins draped in American flags were loaded into vans parked on the tarmac, before soldiers saluted them.
Three US soldiers were killed and 34 wounded after a drone strike on Tower 22, a US outpost in northeastern Jordan, on January 28. These were the first US service members killed in hostilities in the Middle East since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023.
Before the ceremony, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden met privately with the families of the three service members at Dover. He also spoke with them and offered condolences earlier in the week.
US soldiers salute to three dead service members at Dover Air Force Base, February 2. Photo: AP
The Islamic Resistance Army (IRI), a coalition of pro-Iran militias in Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in retaliation for the US support for Israel in the Gaza conflict. The group has previously attacked US bases in the Middle East for similar reasons, but this was the first time US troops were killed.
After a ceremony to receive the bodies of the three soldiers, President Biden approved retaliatory airstrikes targeting Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and pro-Tehran groups in Iraq and Syria.
A series of US fighter jets and bombers attacked more than 85 targets including command, control and intelligence centers as well as missile, rocket and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) storage facilities belonging to armed groups and pro-Iranian forces that "supported airstrikes against US and coalition forces".
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted last October. According to the Pentagon, pro-Iranian militias have carried out more than 150 attacks on US forces and allies in the region since then, in an effort to pressure Washington to stop supporting Israel.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (left) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown (center) at a ceremony to receive the remains of three soldiers on February 2. Photo: AP
Duc Trung (According to AP )
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