LIVE UPDATES
US troops killed in Jordan attack: Live updates
President Joe Biden believes that “radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq” are responsible
US troops killed in Jordan attack: Live updates
American army boots on the ground © Getty Images
Three US Army soldiers were killed and over 30 service personnel were injured in a weekend drone attack on a small US outpost in Jordan, near the country’s Syrian border, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).
This is the first instance of American troops being killed by enemy fire in the region since the onset of the Gaza war.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq – an umbrella group for Shia militias – has claimed responsibility for the attack.
President Joe Biden has pledged to hold those responsible for the attack to account, attributing it to “radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.”
30 January 2024
01:39 GMT
Tehran has once again denied any involvement in the deadly drone strike against American troops in Jordan, as well as other attacks on US personnel and facilities in the region, according to a letter by Iran’s permanent representative to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran categorically rejects these unfounded allegations,” Iravani wrote, adding that “there is no group affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s armed forces, whether in Iraq, Syria, or elsewhere, that operates directly or indirectly under the control of the Islamic Republic of Iran or acts on its behalf.”
“Therefore, the Islamic Republic of Iran is not responsible for the actions of any individual or group within the region,” the diplomat emphasized.
29 January 2024
23:51 GMT
US President Joe Biden has vowed to hold all those responsible for the deadly strike on American troops to account “at a time and in a manner of our choosing,” according to a post on X (formerly Twitter) following a national security briefing earlier in the day.
23:45 GMT
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has voiced his “outrage and sorrow” over the deaths and injuries of American servicemembers, promising to take action to prevent such incidents.
“The President and I will not tolerate attacks on US forces and we will take all necessary actions to defend the US and our troops,” he said on Monday.
23:32 GMT
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has offered “deepest condolences for the US troops killed and wounded in Jordan” as he accused Tehran of “destabilizing the region” following a drone attack by an alleged Iranian-backed group on an American military outpost.
“This demonstrates once again, the risk that servicemen are exposed to when they stand up for our values and take part in missions and operations where we protect freedom and the values we all believe in. Iran continues to destabilize the region. This includes backing terrorists who attack our ships in the Red Sea and the US is leading international efforts to end these attacks,” the bloc’s chief said during a meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday.
22:27 GMT
US national security advisor John Kirby has neither confirmed nor denied reports that the drone that killed three American troops was misidentified as an American UAV, saying he will let the Pentagon “talk about the forensics.”
“I’m sure that they are already picking it apart and trying to figure out how this happened,” Kirby said.
21:27 GMT
The number of American troops injured in the drone strike on US forces on Jordan has risen to 40 people, the Pentagon announced on Monday. The Department of Defense also identified all three soldiers killed in the Sunday attack as army reservists from the US state of Georgia: Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah.
21:07 GMT
Washington will respond “decisively” to any aggression, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated, adding that the US administration is simultaneously taking “steps to defend ourselves as well as to prevent escalation.”
“The president has been crystal clear: We will respond decisively to any aggression, and we will hold responsible the people who attacked our troops at a time and a place of our choosing,” Blinken said on Monday during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
20:41 GMT
The drone that struck the US’ military base in Jordan allegedly approached the base’s living quarters “very low and very slow” at the same time an American drone was returning to the facility following a mission, allowing it to circumvent the air defense system that normally protects the base, a defense official told CBS News. As a result, there was little to no warning for those stationed on the base. The White House believes a single drone was used in the attack.
18:33 GMT
The drone strike that killed three American soldiers in Jordan was not just predictable but “an inevitable conclusion” of stationing US troops at “vulnerable” locations across the Middle East, Republican congressional candidate and Iraq War veteran Joe Kent told Tucker Carlson Uncensored.
“We left them there as bait to be killed by Iranians at the time and place of their choosing so that we can continue to escalate towards a war with Iran,” Kent explained. He pointed out that US troops in the region had already been attacked at least 150 times since Israel declared war in Gaza on October 7, prior to Sunday’s strike.
The politician urged the government to resist the temptation to wage an Iraq-style “shock and awe” campaign in Iran. He warned that such a war would result in catastrophic military and financial losses with no perceivable gain for the average American.
18:30 GMT
The White House is controlled by “pro-Iranian activists” and should be “designated as an Iranian proxy,” radio host and political commentator Steve Gill told RT, blaming the presidential administration of Joe Biden for the attack that killed three US troops in Jordan.
“They’re the ones that are exacerbating the situation in the Middle East through their feckless leadership,” he said. Gill added that the Biden administration was responsible for the outbreak of conflict “hot spots” from Ukraine to Gaza immediately before suggesting a regional “escalation” involving targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure.
