https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-68126368
The US military said three US service members were killed in a drone strike in Jordan, near the border with Syria. According to American media reports, up to 34 military personnel were wounded or shell-shocked. Iran called claims of involvement in the strike "baseless."
US President Joe Biden said the strike was carried out by armed groups backed by Iran. “While we are still gathering all the facts about this attack, we know that it was carried out by radical armed groups operating in Syria and Iraq and backed by Iran,” the US President said. “You can be confident that we will hold all those responsible accountable when and in the manner we deem appropriate,” Biden added.
Iran considers claims of its involvement in the strike to be “baseless,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday, as quoted by Reuters. He also added that continued US strikes on Syria and Iraq, as well as the war in the Gaza Strip, are exacerbating instability in the Middle East region.
Unnamed Pentagon officials told Reuters that some of the wounded troops had been evacuated from the base for further treatment and others were being assessed for possible brain injuries. Earlier it was reported that 25 were wounded, but later American sources began to write about 34 US military personnel who were evacuated and are now undergoing medical examination to identify possible injuries, including shell shock.
Reuters sources also emphasized that the drone fell early in the morning near the barracks where the military lived, which explains the large number of casualties. The White House said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other officials briefed Biden on the attack on Sunday morning.
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