9 months ago
An enemy drone launched by Iranian proxies that ended up killing three U.S. soldiers was trailing a U.S. drone that was returning to the base in Jordan, allowing it to evade detection, according to a Defense Department official.
The attackers saw an “opportunity” and “exploited” it, said the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss a developing security situation.
The assault, which dramatically escalated the situation in the Middle East, has put renewed pressure on the Biden administration to respond more forcefully to the more than 160 attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria and now Jordan.
In addition, an hour and a half after the strike on the small base, known as Tower 22, Iranian proxies launched another drone at a U.S. base just across the border in Syria, al-Tanf Garrison, said the DOD official and another U.S. official. A U.S. drone, Raytheon’s Coyote unmanned aerial system, shot it down, the DOD official added.
The two facilities are just kilometers apart, and U.S. drones often defend both, the DOD official said.
The news comes as the Pentagon is still gathering information about how a drone launched by Iranian proxies penetrated U.S. defenses and struck the living quarters at Tower 22, which also injured at least 34 more service members.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report that the enemy drone approached as a U.S. drone was also returning to base, although officials quoted in that report said the simultaneous approaches created confusion.
Biden on Sunday said the U.S. “shall respond," but the strikes continued on Monday, with Iranian proxies launching an attack at U.S. patrol base al-Shaddadi, in northeast Syria, according to the U.S. official. Overall, U.S. troops have been attacked 165 times since Oct. 17: 66 times in Iraq; 98 in Syria; and once in Jordan, the official said.
Tower 22 is a small outpost typically housing only 300 to 350 troops, said retired Gen. Joseph Votel, who served as head of U.S. Central Command from 2016 to 2019. The base in Jordan sits close to the triple border with Syria and Iraq, and is attached to the Rukban refugee camp.
The base serves as a crossing point for U.S. special operations forces moving into Syria, and is a a logistics hub supporting the fight in Syria against the Islamic State, Votel said. U.S. training of Jordanian forces also takes place there, he said.
The living quarters at Tower 22 are “very temporary,” he said. “You would not find brick-and-mortar buildings at a location like that."
Matt Berg contributed to this report.
English (US)