THREE American troops have died following a drone attack in Jordan.
It is the first time US troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the beginning of the Gaza war.
Three US troops were killed in a drone attack in northern JordanGetty
APUS President Joe Biden vowed to hold those responsible for the troops’ deaths to account[/caption]
The three American troops were last night killed by “radical Iran-backed militant groups” at a small US outpost in northeast Jordan near the border with Syria.
US Central Command confirmed that three service members had been killed and 25 injured in a one-way drone attack which appears to have come from Syria.
President Joe Biden said on Sunday: “Last night, three US service members were killed – and many wounded – during an unmanned aerial drone attack on our forces stationed in northeast Jordan near the Syria border.
“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.”
The president said that the three American service members killed were “patriots in the highest sense” as he vowed to hold those responsible for their deaths to account.
He added: “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.”
There had been more than 158 attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria as of Friday – although officials said they rarely caused serious injury or damage to infrastructure.
One US soldier was said to have been critically injured in an attack in Iraq on Christmas Day, although the Pentagon classified most of the other injuries sustained by US troops since the attacks began – of which there have been about 70 – as minor.
At this early stage, it is unclear why air defences failed to intercept Saturday’s drone attack on Tower 22.
The attack is thought to be the first on Tower 22 since October 17.
US forces are located at the base as part of an advise-and-assist mission with Jordan.
The killing of the three Americans is a significant escalation of the current situation in the Middle East.
It comes after Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Quinton Brown commented on the US’ role in the conflict during a previously-recorded interview with ABC News that aired this morning.
He said that part of the US’ work is to “make sure as things have happened in the Middle East is not to have the conflict broaden.”
Gen. CQ Brown added: “The goal is to deter them and we don’t want to go down a path of greater escalation that drives to a much broader conflict within the region.”
This is a developing story…
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