Staff Reports
Three U.S. service members were killed when a drone got through defenses and crashed into a base in Jordan. This was a truly disturbing and morally wrong act of aggression. A Department of Defense source said that this dangerous drone cleverly followed a U.S.-operated drone back to the base at the same time, hiding itself and not being found.
The drone with the bomb on board came from somewhere in Iraq and went off near the living areas of Jordan's Tower 22 base, which is close to the border with Syria. The explosion that followed killed three brave American soldiers and hurt at least 34 others, most of whom were reserve troops. This event is a terrible blow to our military society.
Here’s how an Iranian-backed militia’s drone got past US defenses and killed three US service members https://t.co/4TCbP6owcc
— Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) January 30, 2024
After only 90 minutes, another hostile drone attacked the nearby al-Tanf Garrison in Syria, which was a very bad turn of events. Luckily, the danger was quickly stopped by Raytheon's Coyote, an unmanned aerial system designed to fight drones. This kept more tragedy from happening. The fact that Tower 22 and al-Tanf are so close to each other shows how important it is for U.S. drones to protect both sites from possible attacks.
The anonymous Department of Defense source told Politico that militants backed by Iran took advantage of the fact that the U.S. drone was in the area at the same time to carry out their deadly mission. This brave act of violence is a stark warning of how dangerous these militant groups are and how important it is to stay alert in our fight against terrorism.
The reasons why the base's air defenses failed to stop the drone are still being looked into by the Pentagon. This worrying security breach needs to be looked into in detail so that similar tragedies don't happen again. Over 160 attacks have been made against our troops in Iraq, Syria, and now Jordan since October 17. These attacks have included rocket, drone, and missile hits. It is impossible to ignore this growing violence.
The Wall Street Journal says that the attack may have been helped by confusion between the enemy drone and the returned U.S. drone. Politico, on the other hand, says that the enemy drone took advantage of the situation to avoid being found by the U.S. No matter the specifics, it is clear that our enemies are getting smarter about how they fight, and we need to change to protect our brave soldiers.
It's interesting that the drone came from Iraq, but the US still doesn't have solid proof that the attack was carried out by Iran. Even though Tehran has already denied any participation, conveniently absolving themselves of responsibility, this denial is similar to how Iran has acted in the past when they wanted to avoid responsibility. It is very important that the Biden government responds to this attack in a strong way.
President Joe Biden correctly called the attack disgusting and completely unfair, and he expressed his shock at the loss of American lives. He promised to get back at those who hurt him and hold them responsible. There is a lot of pressure on the Biden administration to react quickly and effectively to this act of aggression. This will be a key test of how committed they are to fighting terrorism.
We are sad about the deaths of our brave service members and are with their families during this hard time. This event needs to be carefully looked into by the U.S. Central Command, and the right steps need to be taken to protect our troops in the area. We need to stay strong in our fight against terrorism and make it clear that acts like these will not be tolerated. No matter what, we must protect the lives of our service troops.
