Enemy drone that killed American troops 'allowed to pass by mistake', victims named
United States forces may have mistaken an enemy drone for an American one and let it pass unchallenged into a desert base in Jordan where it killed three US troops and wounded dozens more, officials said.
Details of the Sunday attack emerged as US President Joe Biden faced a difficult balancing act, blaming Iran and looking to strike back in a forceful way without causing any further escalation of the Gaza conflict.
As the enemy drone was flying in at a low altitude, a US drone was returning to the small installation known as Tower 22, according to a preliminary report cited by two officials, who were not authorised to comment and insisted on anonymity.
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This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows a US military base known as Tower 22 in northeastern Jordan, where three American troops were killed after a drone attack by an Iranian-backed group. AP
As a result, there was no effort to shoot down the enemy drone that hit the outpost. One of the trailers where troops sleep sustained the brunt of the strike, while surrounding trailers got limited damage from the blast and flying debris.
While there are no large air defence systems at Tower 22, the base does have counter-drone systems, such as Coyote drone interceptors.
Aside from the soldiers killed, the Pentagon said more than 40 troops were wounded in the attack, most with cuts, bruises, brain injuries and similar wounds.
Eight were medically evacuated, including three who were going to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. The other five, who suffered "minor traumatic brain injuries," were expected to return to duty.
Asked if the failure to shoot down the enemy drone was "human error," Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh responded that the US Central Command was still assessing the matter.
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The three US Army Reserve soldiers who were killed by a drone strike on their base in Jordan. From left: Specialist Kennedy Sanders, Sergeant William Jerome Rivers and Specialist Breonna Alexsondria Moffett. (Shawn Sanders and US Army via AP) AP
The Pentagon identified those killed in the attack as Sergeant William Jerome Rivers, 46, Specialist Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, and Specialist Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23.
The explanation for how the enemy drone evaded US air defences came as the White House said on Monday it's not looking for war with Iran even as Biden vows retaliatory action.
The Democratic administration believes Tehran was behind the strike.
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