The Pentagon identified the three American troops who died Sunday after a drone attack against a North American military base located in northern Jordan near the border with Syria. It was also indicated that more than 40 service members were injured in the attack. Of them, eight had to be evacuated.
"The three soldiers killed are Sgt. William Jerome Rivers of Carrollton, Georgia; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders of Waycross, Georgia; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett of Savannah, Georgia. All three were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore, Georgia," the Department of Defense wrote in a statement published on its official website.
The DOD further detailed that "those service members were in Jordan to support Operation Inherent Resolve, which is the U.S. and coalition mission to ensure the defeat of ISIS."
'We will hold all those responsible to account'
Furthermore, the Pentagon explained that the attack occurred early in the morning at the logistics support base located in Tower 22 of the Jordanian Defense Network. The incident is being investigated.
"I am outraged and deeply saddened by the deaths of three of our U.S. service members and the wounding of other American troops in an attack last night against U.S. and coalition forces, who were deployed to a site in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border to work for the lasting defeat of ISIS," said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin.
Meanwhile, the AP indicated that it is likely that American forces mistook an enemy drone for an American one and they let it pass unopposed to the base in the Jordanian desert. "As the enemy drone was flying in at a low altitude, a U.S. drone was returning to the small installation known as Tower 22, according to a preliminary report cited by two officials, who were not authorized to comment and insisted on anonymity," the AP detailed.
The information was released after the White House assured that the attack was carried out by terrorist groups supported by Iran.
"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," President Joe Biden said in a statement.
