Three US service members killed in drone attack on US forces in north-east Jordan, says Joe Biden
Three US service members have been killed during an unmanned aerial drone attack on US forces in north-east Jordan near the Syria border on Saturday night.
In a statement released on Sunday, Joe Biden said that while an investigation into the attack remains underway, the US knows “it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.”
Biden added that many others were wounded.
He went on to add:
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 …
We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism. And have no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing.
At least 34 personnel are being evaluated for possible traumatic brain injury, according to a US official, Reuters reports.
The attacks mark the first fatalities of US troops in the region since Israel’s war in Gaza began on 7 October.
Key events
Israeli forces are raiding the West Bank city of Jenin, Al Jazeera is reporting citing the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
The broadcaster also said clashes had erupted in the village of Muthalath al-Shuhada, south of Jenin and that Israeli soldiers had stormed residential neighbourhoods in the town of Ya’bad, south-west of Jenin.
Israeli forces have repeatedly raided cities and towns across the occupied West Bank since Hamas 7 October attack on Israel.
According to the UN agency Ocha, 361 Palestinians including 92 children have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers as of Friday.
A US Muslim group has criticised former House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi after she suggested, without offering evidence, that some protesters demanding a ceasefire in Gaza could be linked to Russia and urged the FBI to investigate.
Her comments were dismissed as “unsubstantiated smears” by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), who said such remarks amounted to dehumanization of the Palestinian people, Reuters reported.
Pelosi made the remarks in a CNN interview after she was asked whether opposition to President Joe Biden’s policy in the war in Gaza could hurt the Democrat in November’s presidential election. She said:
For them to call for a ceasefire is Mr. Putin’s message, Mr. Putin’s message. Make no mistake, this is directly connected to what he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) would like to see.
I think some of these protesters are spontaneous, and organic, and sincere. Some I think are connected to Russia. Some financing should be investigated and I want to ask the FBI to investigate that.
Pelosi’s comments marked the first time a prominent US lawmaker has accused Russia’s leader of backing US protesters calling for a ceasefire.
The Russian embassy in Washington was not immediately available to comment.
Protests demanding a ceasefire in Gaza have recently occurred across the US, including near airports and bridges in New York City and Los Angeles, vigils outside the White House and marches in Washington. Demonstrators have also interrupted Biden speeches and events.
The protests have been organised by a range of human rights, Jewish and anti-war activist groups. Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesperson for CAIR, said:
It is unconscionable that an individual with such influence in this nation would spread unsubstantiated smears targeting those who seek an end to the slaughter of civilians in Gaza and a just resolution to that conflict.
CAIR national executive director Nihad Awad added that Pelosi’s comments:
echo a time in our nation when opponents of the Vietnam War were accused of being communist sympathisers and subjected to FBI harassment.
This is Helen Livingstone, taking over from my colleague, Maya Yang.
Summary
Here is where the day stands:
-
Three US service members have been killed during an unmanned aerial drone attack on US forces in north-east Jordan near the Syria border on Saturday night. In a statement released on Sunday, Joe Biden said that while an investigation into the attack remains underway, the US knows “it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq”. Biden added that many others were wounded.
-
The US will respond to the attack on its troops over the weekend, Biden said on Sunday. During a campaign event at South Carolina on Sunday following the attack which killed three US service members and injured dozens others, Biden said: “We shall respond.” Biden also went on to ask for a moment of silence.
-
US central command (Centcom) said that it is currently withholding the identities of the service members killed in Saturday night’s attack until 24 hours after their families have been informed. In a statement released on Sunday, Centcom said: “As a matter of respect for the families and in accordance with DoD [Department of Defense] policy, the identities of the service members will be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified.”
-
US defense secretary Lloyd Austin has responded to the attacks on US troops in Jordan, saying: “Iran-backed militias are responsible for these continued attacks on US forces, and we will respond at a time and place of our choosing.”
-
Jordan has condemned the “terrorist attack” on a military advance post along the border with Syria, Reuters reports. It added that it is cooperating with the US to secure the border and fight terrorism.
-
A senior official with Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, said that last night’s attacks on US forces were tied directly to Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza which have killed more than 26,000 Palestinians since last October. Speaking to Reuters, Abu Zuhri said: “The killing of three American soldiers is a message to the US administration that unless the killing of innocents in Gaza stops, it must confront the entire nation.”
World Health Organization chief Tedros Ghebreyesus has joined UNRWA’s appeals to donors to continue funding the agency for Palestinian refugees.
In a tweet on Sunday, Tedros wrote:
We appeal to donors not to suspend their funding to UNRWA at this critical moment. Cutting off funding will only hurt the people of Gaza who desperately need support.”
We appeal to donors not to suspend their funding to @UNRWA at this critical moment. Cutting off funding will only hurt the people of #Gaza who desperately need support.https://t.co/xx85VOCIjx
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 28, 2024
Since last October, Israel’s attacks on Gaza have left close to 2 million Palestinians forcibly displaced amid shortages in food, water, fuel and medical supplies.
The UN special rapporteur on the right to food said that the Gaza strip is facing “inevitable famine” due to western countries to pause funding following Israel’s accusations that several of the group’s staff members participated in Hamas’s attacks last October.
The Guardian’s Bethan McKernan and Ruth Michaelson report:
Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, said on Sunday “famine was imminent” and now ‘inevitable’, in a comment following the news that the US and nine other countries were suspending additional funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).
‘This collectively punishes over 2.2 million Palestinians,’ he said.
According to the UN secretary-general,António Guterres, 12 UNRWA staff members were identified by Israel, nine of which had been fired, one killed and the identities of two more were being checked. A UN investigation has been launched.
Israel has not publicly shared the details of its allegations against the UNRWA employees, which according to the Axios website were provided by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and internal security service, the Shin Bet. The information ‘pointed to the active participation of UNRWA staffers along with the use of the agency’s vehicles and facilities’, it reported.
Read the full story here:
US defense secretary Lloyd Austin has responded to the attacks on US troops in Jordan, saying:
Iran-backed militias are responsible for these continued attacks on US forces, and we will respond at a time and place of our choosing.
Egypt has also condemned the attacks which killed three US troops and injured dozens more, with its foreign ministry saying:
Egypt affirmed its strong condemnation of any terrorist acts that threaten the security and stability of the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan, expressing full solidarity with Jordan in this delicate situation … Egypt emphasized the necessity of confronting all forms of terrorism and rejecting all manifestations of violence to ensure the stability of the region.
Joe Biden on attack on US forces near Syrian border: ‘We shall respond’
The US will respond to the attack on its troops over the weekend, the US president said on Sunday.
During a campaign event at South Carolina on Sunday following the attack which killed three US service members and injured dozens others, Biden said: “We shall respond.”
Biden also went on to ask for a moment of silence.
A senior official with Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, said that last night’s attacks on US forces were tied directly to Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza which have killed more than 26,000 Palestinians since last October.
Speaking to Reuters, Abu Zuhri said:
The killing of three American soldiers is a message to the US administration that unless the killing of innocents in Gaza stops, it must confront the entire nation … The continued American-Zionist aggression on Gaza is capable of exploding the situation in the region.
Here is Reuters’ report on what to know about the military outpost Tower 22 where the reported attacks against US troops occurred last night:
Location:
Tower 22 holds a strategically important location in Jordan, at the most northeastern point where the country’s borders meet Syria and Iraq.
Purpose:
Little is publicly known about the base. But it is near Al Tanf garrison, which is located across the border in Syria, and which houses a small number of US troops. Tanf had been key in the fight against Islamic State and has assumed a role as part of a US strategy to contain Iran’s military build-up in eastern Syria. Tower 22 is located close enough to US troops at Tanf that it could potentially help support them, while also potentially countering Iran-backed militants in the area and allowing troops to keep an eye on remnants of Islamic State in the region.
US troops in Jordan:
Jordan’s army is one of the largest recipients of Washington’s foreign military financing. The kingdom has hundreds of US trainers and is one of the few regional allies that hold extensive exercises with US troops throughout the year. Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, Washington has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to help Amman set up an elaborate surveillance system known as the Border Security Programme to stem infiltration by militants from Syria and Iraq.
Many unknowns:
It is unclear how many US troops are actually stationed on Tower 22. Also unclear are the type of weapons kept, air defenses used, and what exactly went wrong.
Jordan condemns “terrorist attack” on military advance post along border
Jordan has condemned the “terrorist attack” on a military advance post along the border with Syria, Reuters reports.
It added that it is cooperating with the US to secure the border and fight terrorism.
Jordan’s statements come as a drone attack on US troops killed three service members and injured at least three dozen others last night.
Some wounded US troops were medically evacuated from the US base for further treatment, two different officials told Reuters. An official said that the drone struck near the base’s barrack, which resulted in three US troops’ deaths and at least 34 others injured.
The Guardian’s Patrick Wintour reports:
The spectre of a direct US-Iranian military conflict drew closer on Sunday when the US president Joe Biden announced three US servicemen have been killed and more than 34 injured following a drone attack on a US service base on the border of Jordan and Syria. Biden blamed Iranian backed militia mainly based in Iraq for the ‘despicable’ attack and vowed revenge.
Responsibility for Saturday’s attack on Tower 22, a military outpost on the Jordanian Syrian Iraqi borders was claimed by the Iranian backed umbrella group Islamic Resistance, and the US made no attempt to disguise its belief that Iran was ultimately responsible.
Four separate drone strikes had been fired at three US bases, and the US was investigating why the T-22 base’s defence mechanism did not repel the drone. Many of the American servicemen wounded have suffered traumatic brain injury, but the extent of injuries has not been disclosed. An official said the drone struck near the barracks, which would explain the high number of casualties.
US forces have faced a near daily barrage of drone and missile strikes in Iraq and Syria since the 7 October attack on Israel by Hamas, but this incident draws the US much closer to a direct conflict with Iran, an outcome both sides insist they wish to avoid, but may now be unable to prevent as the incidents proliferate and escalate in impact.
Read the full story here:
Here is a map of north-eastern Jordan and US base Tower 22, where the attack is reported to have occurred on Saturday night:
US House speaker Mike Johnson has released the following statement following the attacks on US troops on Saturday night which killed three service members while injuring dozens of others:
We are saddened by the loss of three American heroes in Jordan last night, and we are praying for their families and for the 25 other service members who have been injured.
America must send a crystal clear message across the globe that attacks on our troops will not be tolerated.”
We are saddened by the loss of three American heroes in Jordan last night, and we are praying for their families and for the 25 other service members who have been injured.
America must send a crystal clear message across the globe that attacks on our troops will not be…
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 28, 2024
Richard Luscombe
Republican politicians were quick to pin blame for the US service members’ deaths at the president’s door.
“Joe Biden emboldened Iran for many years by tolerating attacks on our troops, bribing the ayatollahs with billions of dollars, and appeasing them to no end,” Arkansas senator Tom Cotton said in a post on Twitter/X.
“He left our troops as sitting ducks and now three are dead and dozens wounded. The only answer to theses attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran’s terrorist forces, both in Iran and across the Middle East,” he added.
Florida congressman Byron Donalds adopted a similar line, saying: “This never should have happened. Biden’s appeasement strategy towards Iran & it’s [sic] proxies DOES NOT WORK. Peace through strength ensures a safer world for all,” he wrote.
I am deeply saddened to learn of the deaths of three American servicemen in Jordan. May their memories be a blessing.
This never should have happened.
Biden’s appeasement strategy towards Iran & it’s proxies DOES NOT WORK.
Peace through strength ensures a safer world for all. pic.twitter.com/EK7cg1mNFn
— Congressman Byron Donalds (@RepDonaldsPress) January 28, 2024
Richard Luscombe
Mark Hertling, former commander of the US army in Europe, said the American deaths were “tough news”.
In a post to Twitter/X, he said: “Iranian-backed PMFs [popular mobilization forces] are all over this region, and it’s been a continuous challenge addressing them for over a decade. Many think it’s easy to ‘eliminate’ this threat. It isn’t.”
Tough news this morning regarding the death of 3 US service members in Jordan. Iranian-backed PMFs are all over this region, and it’s been a continuous challenge addressing them for over a decade.
Many think it’s easy to “eliminate” this threat. It isn’t. https://t.co/RJTvkZJANZ
— MarkHertling (@MarkHertling) January 28, 2024
Another retired US army general, Wesley Clark, former supreme allied commander Europe, also took to X to urge strikes on Iran, backers of militant groups throughout the Middle East. He said: “The US should stop saying ‘we don’t want to escalate.’ This invites them to attack us. Stop calling our strikes ‘retaliation.’ This is reactive. Take out their capabilities and strike hard at the source: Iran.”
Three U.S. troops killed in Jordan by Iranian backed militia. The U.S. should stop saying “we don’t want to escalate.” This invites them to attack us. Stop calling our strikes “retaliation.” This is reactive. Take out their capabilities and strike hard at the source: Iran.
— Wes Clark (@GeneralClark) January 28, 2024
Ruth Michaelson
Joe Biden immediately attributed a drone strike that killed three US soldiers and injured at least 34 more to “Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq”.
A statement from the US military said that US troops were stationed “at a base in northeast Jordan, near the Syria border”.
Muhannad al-Mubaidin, a spokesperson for the Jordanian government, told public broadcaster Al-Mamlaka that the soldiers were not targeted on Jordanian soil, but at the US-controlled al-Tanf airbase inside Syrian territory.
The drone strike on US forces follows rising tensions along Jordan’s border with Syria, as Amman has scaled up a campaign to strike Iranian-backed drug and weapons-smuggling networks inside Syrian territory. A series of airstrikes on the town of Orman in As Suwayda province killed 10 people earlier this month, according to monitoring groups.
Officials across the Middle East, particularly in the Gulf and Jordan, have increasingly drawn attention to Syrian’s central role in smuggling networks for the powerful stimulant captagon, an amphetamine-like substance. The drug has proven to be a cash cow for the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, leading to accusations that Syria is operating as a “narco-state”, due to its dependence on profits from the drug, which regional officials hoped would be curbed by normalising relations. Instead, mammoth shipments of the drug continue to be intercepted in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Jordan.
The smuggling networks from Iranian-backed militias in southern Syria also include weapons that some analysts fear are trafficked to Palestinian militant groups in the West Bank, fuelling an increasingly regional war amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza that has killed over 26,400 people.
US troops in Iraq and also naval forces sailing off the coast of Yemen have increasingly come under fire from Iranian-backed militias, sparking fears of a widening conflict that Washington is struggling to contain. US forces in Iraq have stepped up airstrikes against groups backed by Tehran including three strikes earlier this week targeting Kataib Hezbollah. The US military said following the strike that they’d targeted the group’s headquarters as well as “storage, and training locations for rocket, missile, and one-way attack UAV capabilities”.
The strikes followed a ballistic attack on al-Asad air base in Iraq that injured US military personnel, part of a barrage of attacks on the base that are often intercepted by air defences.