U.S. beefing up air defenses at base in Jordan where 3 soldiers were killed in drone attack

Washington — The U.S. is sending extra air defenses to the bottom in northeast Jordan the place three American troopers have been killed in a drone assault on Sunday, based on a U.S. official. 

The outpost that was hit had not been the goal of earlier assaults and thus its air defenses weren’t as robust as U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria which have been underneath fixed menace of assault since October, the official stated. The air protection system heading to the outpost is designed to intercept drones. 

About 350 U.S. Military and Air Power personnel are stationed on the outpost, often called Tower 22, based on the Protection Division. 

The Pentagon stated Monday that the variety of wounded had risen to greater than 40 after a drone strike hit their sleeping quarters within the pre-dawn hours on Sunday. 

“Folks have been truly of their beds when the drone impacted,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh instructed reporters Monday. 

Singh stated the assault was inconsistent with prior strikes as a result of it hit dwelling quarters and was early within the morning. The Protection Division is investigating how the drone evaded air defenses, she stated. 

“We try to determine how a one-way assault drone was capable of evade air defenses and was capable of kill three of our service members and injure dozens extra,” she stated. 

Tower 22 didn’t have the identical air defenses because the particular forces base positioned about 15 miles north in al-Tanf, Syria, which has been underneath frequent assault. The lethal assault on Tower 22 was the primary time a drone had landed on the Jordanian aspect of the border. 

Since Oct. 17, there have been no less than 165 assaults on U.S. forces in Iraq, Syria and now Jordan by Iranian-backed teams. 

Eleanor Watson contributed reporting.