Three US troops were killed in a drone strike targeting a base in Jordan on Sunday (January 28). Following the attack, US President Joe Biden condemned Iran-backed militant groups and pledged to hold the perpetrators accountable.
“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,” Biden said in a statement on the attack.
“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 of our choosing,” he added.
Biden vows to strike back
The US president then referred to the three fallen service members as “patriots,” praising their bravery and expressing his condolences, calling it a “despicable and wholly unjust attack.”
“Together, we will keep the sacred obligation we bear to their families. We will strive to be worthy of their honour and valor. We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism,” the president said.
The US Central Command stated that 25 people were injured in the attack near the Syrian border and that the identities of those killed would be withheld pending notification of their families.
Meanwhile, Jordan issued a statement claiming that the strike occurred at a Syrian army base near the border rather than on its territory, as previously reported by the US.
This is the first time that American troops have been killed in the Middle East since Israel’s war with the Palestinian
According to government spokesman Muhannad Mubaidin, the “attack that targeted the American forces did not happen in Jordan… It targeted the Al-Tanf base in Syria,” where US troops are stationed as part of an international anti-jihadist coalition.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri released a statement saying that the killing of the soldiers “is a message to the American administration that unless the killing of innocent people in Gaza stops, it may be faced with the entire (Muslim) nation.”
“The continuation of the American-Zionist aggression on Gaza risks a regional explosion,” Abu Zuhri said in a statement.
This is the first time that American troops have been killed in the Middle East since Israel’s war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas began.
The attack is viewed as a significant escalation of an already precarious situation in the Middle East. There have been over 150 attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, but the majority of them were unsuccessful because they did not result in serious injury or infrastructure damage.
Earlier, Biden stated that military strikes against the Houthis would continue, citing the rebel group’s continued attacks on Red Sea vessels
“When you say ‘working, are they stopping the Houthi?’ No. Are they going to continue? “Yes,” Biden told reporters at the White House when asked if the strikes were effective.
On January 17, Washington re-designated the Houthis as a “terrorist group” and launched 14 missiles against them later that day.
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