3 US troops killed, at least 34 wounded in drone attack by Iran-backed militia in Jordan: officials

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Three American troops were killed and dozens were injured Sunday successful a drone onslaught successful northeast Jordan adjacent the Syrian border, the U.S. subject said. President Joe Biden blamed Iran-backed militias for the archetypal U.S. fatalities aft months of strikes by the groups against American forces crossed the Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas war.

With an expanding the hazard of subject escalation successful the region, U.S. officials were moving to conclusively place the precise radical liable for the attack, but they person assessed that 1 of respective Iranian-backed groups was down it.

Biden said the United States "will clasp each those liable to relationship astatine a clip and successful a mode (of) our choosing." Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said "we volition instrumentality each indispensable actions to support the United States, our troops, and our interests."

Iran-backed fighters successful eastbound Syria began evacuating their posts, fearing U.S. airstrikes, according to Omar Abu Layla, a Europe-based activistic who heads the Deir Ezzor 24 media outlet. He told The Associated Press that the areas are the strongholds of Mayadeen and Boukamal.

According to a U.S. official, the fig of troops injured successful the onslaught by the one-way onslaught drone roseate to astatine slightest 34. Another official, who besides spoke connected information of anonymity to sermon details not made public, said a ample drone struck the base, which 2 different American officials identified arsenic an installation successful Jordan known arsenic Tower 22. It is on the Syrian borderline and is utilized mostly by troops progressive successful the advise-and-assist ngo for Jordanian forces.

The tiny installation, which Jordan does not publically disclose, includes U.S. engineering, aviation, logistics and information troops. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the troops were deployed determination "to enactment for the lasting decision of ISIS." Three officials said the drone struck adjacent the troops' sleeping quarters, which they said explained the precocious casualty count.

The U.S. subject basal astatine al-Tanf successful Syria is conscionable 20 kilometers (12 miles) northbound of Tower 22. The Jordanian installation provides a captious logistical hub for U.S. forces successful Syria, including those astatine al-Tanf, which is adjacent the intersection of the Iraq, Syria and Jordan borders.

Jordanian authorities tv quoted Muhannad Mubaidin, a authorities spokesman, arsenic insisting the onslaught happened crossed the borderline successful Syria.

U.S. troops agelong person utilized Jordan, a kingdom bordering Iraq, Israel, the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, Saudi Arabia and Syria, arsenic a basing point. U.S. Central Command enactment the toll astatine 3 killed and 25 injured.

Some 3,000 American troops typically are stationed successful Jordan.

Since the warfare successful Gaza began Oct. 7, Iranian-backed militias person struck American subject installations successful Iraq much than 60 times and successful Syria much than 90 times, with a premix of drones, rockets, mortars and ballistic missiles. The onslaught Sunday was the archetypal targeting American troops successful Jordan during the Israel-Hamas warfare and the archetypal to effect successful the nonaccomplishment of American lives. Scores of U.S. unit person been wounded, including immoderate with traumatic encephalon injuries, during the attacks.

The militias person said that their strikes are successful retaliation for Washington's enactment for Israeli successful the warfare successful Gaza and person besides said they purpose to propulsion U.S. forces retired of the region.

The U.S. successful caller months has struck targets successful Iraq, Syria and Yemen to respond to attacks connected American forces successful the portion and to deter Iran-backed Houthi rebels from continuing to endanger commercialized shipping successful the Red Sea.

"I americium assured the Biden Administration volition respond successful a deliberate and proportional manner," said said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Republicans successful Congress said the administration's attack had failed to deter America's adversaries successful the region.

"We request a large reset of our Middle East argumentation to support our nationalist information interests," said Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, president of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., went further, urging the medication "to onslaught targets of value wrong Iran, not lone arsenic reprisal for the sidesplitting of our forces, but arsenic deterrence against aboriginal aggression. The lone happening the Iranian authorities understands is force."

Biden, who was successful Columbia, South Carolina, connected Sunday, was briefed successful the greeting by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, nationalist information advisor Jake Sullivan, and main lawman nationalist information advisor Jon Finer, White House property caput Karine Jean-Pierre said. In the afternoon, helium met virtually with Vice President Kamala Harris and his nationalist information squad for an update.

The president called it a "despicable and wholly unjust attack" and said the work members were "risking their ain information for the information of their chap Americans, and our allies and partners with whom we basal successful the combat against terrorism. It is simply a combat we volition not cease."

Syria is inactive successful the midst of a civilian warfare and agelong has been a motorboat pad for Iranian-backed forces there, including the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. Iraq has aggregate Iranian-backed Shiite militias operating determination arsenic well.

Jordan, a staunch Western state and a important powerfulness successful Jerusalem for its oversight of beatified sites there, is suspected of launching airstrikes successful Syria to disrupt cause smugglers, including 1 that killed 9 radical earlier this month.

An umbrella radical for Iran-backed factions known arsenic the Islamic Resistance successful Iraq earlier claimed launching explosive drone attacks targeting 3 areas successful Syria, arsenic good arsenic 1 wrong of "occupied Palestine." The radical has claimed work for dozens of attacks against bases lodging U.S. troops successful Iraq and Syria since the Israel-Hamas warfare began.

Three officials with Iran-backed militias successful Iraq, who spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that they were not authorized to sermon the substance with journalists, said the drone onslaught against the basal successful Jordan was launched by 1 of the Iraqi groups. No faction has yet officially claimed responsibility.

Officials said the U.S. subject is not tracking immoderate different attacks connected its forces Sunday successful the region.

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Baldor reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue and Abby Sewell successful Beirut, Qassim Abdul-Zahra successful Baghdad, Omar Akour successful Amman, Jordan and Jon Gambrell successful Jerusalem contributed to this report.