The bases have been attacked in a Jordan Drone strike in which 3 US troops were killed and more than 30 got injured according to sources. The United States has several military bases in Jordan. These bases are primarily used for training, joint exercises, and strategic purposes.
The attack is a major escalation of the already tense situation in the Middle East, where war broke out in Gaza after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 which killed 1,200.
Officials say the troops manning the outpost of the Jordan side of the border with Syria had little warning of the incoming attack that killed the three Americans. Many of the dead and wounded were still in the barracks when it hit the outpost known as Tower 22 to provide support to US special operation forces operating inside Syria where they are under constant threat of attack. But until now, tower 22 had not been attacked.
It was the US military’s worst loss of life to the enemy action since the fall of Afghanistan. And the first since Israel’s war with Hamas set off a drumbeat of more than 160 attacks against US troop locations in Iraq and Syria. The Biden administration is now under pressure to launch more damaging strikes against targets in Iraq and Syria.
3 US troops were killed: President Biden blamed it on Iranian backed militias and vowed to retaliate.
However, Iran on Sunday denied any involvement in the attack, state news agency IRNA reported, citing the country’s permanent mission to the United Nations.
Tehran’s denial came after the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of a number of Iran-backed militias in the country, said in a statement Sunday it attacked a number of targets along the Jordan-Syria border, including Al-Rukban camp. The camp is in close proximity to the US outpost Tower 22.
The statement, posted to the Islamic Resistance’s Telegram channel, came before the US announced the death of the three service members.
Joe Biden vowed to retaliate against Jordan attack
Biden vowed Sunday to hold those responsible for the attack “to account,” saying that while facts are still being gathered, “We know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.”
He said while speaking in South Carolina on Sunday. “We lost three brave soldiers in an attack on one of our bases and we shall respond”.
💥💥BREAKING: 3 US Troops Killed
Three US Army soldiers were killed and more than 30 service members were injured in a drone attack overnight on a small US outpost in Jordan. Marking the first time US troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the beginning… pic.twitter.com/EFLST6JSBz
— Audit The States 🇺🇲 📜 🦅 (@Audit_TheStates) January 29, 2024
“These service members embodied the very best of our nation: Unwavering in their bravery. Unflinching in their duty. Unbending in their commitment to our country — risking their own safety for the safety of their fellow Americans, and our allies and partners with whom we stand in the fight against terrorism. … Have no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing.”
“I want to point out that we had a tough day last night in the Middle East. We lost three brave souls in an attack on one of our bases,” Biden said at the conclusion of his remarks.
As of Friday, there had been more than 158 attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, though officials have described the constant volley of drones, rockets, and missiles as unsuccessful as they have frequently not caused serious injury or damage to infrastructure.
It’s unclear why air defences failed to intercept the drone, which appears to be the first known attack on Tower 22 since attacks on US and coalition forces began on October 17. US forces at the outpost are there as part of an advise-and-assist mission with Jordan.
The US has taken several retaliatory actions against the Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria, one as recently as last week, when the US struck three facilities in Iraq used by Kataib Hezbollah and other Iran-affiliated groups. The US has also been engaged with the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, carrying out multiple strikes — many unilaterally and some with the UK and other allies — on Houthi missiles and drones, radar systems, storage facilities, and more.
Amid these tensions in Middle East, now US will strike back to retaliate as per Joe Biden’s speech which will augment the tense situation even more.