The attack occurred on Sunday, January 29, 2023, at a small U.S. post in Jordan. U.S. officials revealed that it was possible they mistakenly allowed an enemy drone to enter the desert base, confusing it for an American drone.
Sadly, no attempt was made to shoot down the drone. Unfortunately, this error resulted in the tragic loss of three U.S. troops and left many service members severely wounded. Last Monday, the Pentagon released the identities of the three Army reservists who tragically lost their lives.
They are Sergeant. William Jerome Rivers, aged 46, from Carrollton, Georgia; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, aged 24, from Waycross, Georgia; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, aged 23, from Savannah, Georgia. All three were members of an Army Reserve engineering unit based in Georgia.
According to reports, the enemy drone approached the base at a low altitude while a U.S. drone was returning to the installation known as Tower 22. The one-way drone strike targeted a housing area within the secluded Tower 22 base located in the Jordanian desert, close to the borders of Syria and Iraq.
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U.S. officials reportedly believed that Iran-back militants fueled the attack. According to Pentagon’s spokeswoman, Sabrina Singh, the one-way attack drone originated from the “footprint of Kataib Hezbollah.” The drone had hit while the unsuspecting troops were still asleep.
“Iran continues to arm and equip these groups to launch these attacks, and we will certainly hold them responsible,” Singh stated, adding, “We don’t seek a wider conflict with Iran. We don’t want to go to war with Iran.” Dispirited President Joe Biden has warned that the attack would evoke a strong response from the United States.
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Meanwhile, Iran has denied any involvement in the incident. In response to the attack, a spokesperson for the Iranian Mission for the United Nations said, “Iran has nothing to do with the attacks in question. The United States military has initiated the conflict against resistance groups in Iraq and Syria, and such operations are reciprocal between them.”
The President met with his national security advisers in the White House Situation Room to deliberate and explore potential retaliation. “There’s no easy answer here,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. “And that’s why the president is meeting with his national security team weighing the options before him.”
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Since October 7, there have been several attacks on U.S. troops in the Middle East following the Israel-Hamas war. However, this terror attack was the first that resulted in the deaths of American service members. America has supported Israel in its battle with Hamas in Gaza while trying to keep the war from escalating to the Middle East.
But America seems fed up after several attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan vessels in the Red Sea. “Have no doubt — we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing,” Biden promised in a statement.
President Biden praised the slain troops for being “unwavering in their bravery. Unflinching in their duty. Unbending in their commitment to our country.” Later, in an event in South Carolina, the President held a moment of silence for the dead.
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