Three US soldiers killed & 24 injured in drone strike on border with Syria in first American deaths since Gaza war

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.

AFP

The three American troops were killed at a small US outpost in northeast Jordan near the border with Syria.

US Central Command confirmed in a statement on Sunday that three service members had been killed and 25 injured in a single, one-way drone attack.

There had been more than 158 attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria as at Friday, but officials said rarely caused serious injury or damage to infrastructure.

At this early stage, it is unclear why air defences failed to intercept the drone attack on Tower 22.

US forces are at the outpost as part of an advise-and-assist mission with Jordan.

The attack is thought to be the first on Tower 22 since US and coalition forces began to be targeted on October 17.

US 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 the three American service members killed were “patriots in the highest sense”, and 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.”