US forces may have mistakenly allowed an enemy drone to enter a Jordanian base unhindered, resulting in an attack that killed three US troops and wounded over 40 others, Associated Press reports.
The preliminary report suggests that the drone went unchallenged due to a US drone returning to the base at the same time, and there was no attempt to intercept the enemy drone. The incident occurred at a US military outpost known as Tower 22 near the Jordan-Syria border.
The attack marks the first time US service members have been killed in dozens of recent drone attacks on US troops in the Middle East. The US soldiers killed in the attack were identified as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett.
The US blames Iranian-based proxies for the drone strike, while Iran denies involvement. The Biden administration is considering retaliatory actions, after calls for a strong response to reestablish deterrence.
