Three American soldiers were killed Sunday in Jordan
, near the Syrian border
, in a drone strike that was claimed by
pro-Iran militias in Iraq.
These are the keys to the attack.
Who are responsible?
In a statement, US President Joe Biden attributed the attack to
Iranian-backed militias
operating in Syria and Iraq, although he stopped short of precisely identifying the group responsible.
Although Washington has not yet identified the perpetrators, the pro-Iranian militia group
Islamic Resistance in Iraq
claimed responsibility this Sunday for several attacks against positions in Syria and Iraq and assumed responsibility for the deadly attack against US troops.
According to the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), the attack killed three soldiers, whose identities have not yet been released, and
left at least 34 wounded.
Of the 34 injured, eight have suffered serious injuries and have had to be evacuated from Jordan to receive medical attention, although their condition is stable, CENTCOM detailed in a statement.
Where did the attack occur?
There are different versions about the exact location of the attack: the United States claims that it occurred at a military base in northeastern Jordan, near the border with Syria, while the Jordanian government maintains that it took place
outside its territory
and targeted a American base in Syria.
Jordan is one of the main US allies in the region, but the presence of hundreds of US troops in its territory
is a sensitive issue
because the majority of the Jordanian population
rejects the aid
that Washington is providing to Israel for its offensive. over the Gaza Strip.
The base attacked in Jordan.
Photo: Planet Labs PBC via AFP
According to CENTCOM in a statement, the attack occurred against a military base in Jordan called
'Tower 22',
which is strategically located at the
most northwestern point of
Jordanian territory, where its borders meet those of Syria and Iraq. .
About 350 US military personnel
are deployed at that base
.
whose mission is to achieve the "lasting defeat" of the terrorist group ISIS, detailed CENTCOM.
In addition, 'Tower 22' is located near another US military garrison called
'Al Tanf',
located in Syria very close to the border with Jordan and which, since 2016, has been key to operations against IS, according to the organization. International Crisis Group on its website.
The Jordanian Government assures that the attack occurred precisely against the 'Al Tanf' base, contradicting the United States version.
How will the United States respond?
Biden, who was campaigning in South Carolina this Sunday, promised in a statement that
those responsible will be held accountable
"at the time and in the manner" that the United States chooses.
Later, during an event at a South Carolina church, Biden gave a speech to hundreds of worshipers in which he stated: "
We had a difficult day last night in the Middle East
. We lost three brave men in an attack on one of our bases".
Biden, campaigning in South Carolina.
Photo: Reuters
Afterwards, he asked for a moment of silence and broke it with two words:
"and we will respond."
With the imminence of a US response, various pro-Iran groups in eastern Syria
are "relocating"
, while several militias have deployed trucks with rocket launchers to counter possible US bombings, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
The death of three American soldiers
further aggravates the already fragile situation in the Middle East
, where tension has skyrocketed since the Hamas attack against Israel on October 7, where 1,200 people lost their lives, and to which Israeli forces responded with an offensive in the Gaza Strip that has left more than 26,000 Palestinians dead.
Since the beginning of this conflict, pro-Iran militias in Iraq have carried out more than a hundred attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria, wounding at least 70 people, mostly soldiers with traumatic brain injuries.
In addition, Houthi rebels in Yemen, backed by Iran,
have been attacking ships in the Red Sea
and two "navy seals," as members of the elite US Navy corps are known, were killed in one of them off the coast of Somalia.
The attack on the base near Syria is the first in the Middle East where there have been fatalities among the American ranks.
With information from EFE