[Fox News] Biden blasts 'radical Iran-backed militant groups' after 3 U.S. service members killed in JordanAnd then what? A sternly worded missive from Lloyd Austin? Pronoun training by C.Q. Browning?
Three U.S. service members were killed and 25 others were injured in a drone attack on an outpost in Jordan near the Syria border, U.S. Central Command confirmed on Sunday.
The attack marked a significant escalation in the Middle East, representing the first time American troops have been killed by enemy fire in the region since the Israel-Hamas war began.
"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.
| Update at 4:35 p.m. ET: |
Some of the 25 plus injured have been medically evacuated from the base, likely to Landstuhl in Germany, according to the official. It is not clear if they were hit while sleeping in the residential compound at the base. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is actively engaged in discussions taking place at the White House about how to respond.
Biden blasted "radical Iran-backed militant groups" in reacting to the attack.
"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."
Some 3,000 American troops typically are stationed in Jordan, according to The Associated Press.
The unnamed U.S. officials cited in several reports say the attack 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, the Jordanian government reportedly is claiming otherwise.
Jordanian state television quoted Muhannad al Mubaidin, a government spokesman, as insisting the attack happened outside the kingdom across the border in Syria. Reuters also cited al Mubaidin as telling Jordanian public broadcaster al Mamlaka television that the attack had targeted the U.S. Al-Tanf base in Syria.
The conflicting information could not be immediately reconciled.