A drone strike on a military base in Jordan killed three US troops and injured 34 others, Washington said on Sunday (Jan 28). This was the first deadly strike against US forces since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted on Oct 7 last year. US President Joe Biden blamed Iran-back militants for the strike and vowed that Washington would respond.
There has so far been no claim of responsibility for the strike. A Jordanian government spokesperson said on Sunday the drone strike targeted the Al-Tanf base in Syria, where US forces have been deployed as part of an international anti-jihadist coalition. Eight of the 34 injured personnel required evacuation.
Where is Al-Tanf based?
According to reports, Al-Tanf is located in Syria on the Iraqi border and within miles of the Jordanian border. Since 2016, the US garrison at Tanf has served as a launching point for counter-ISIS operations and training for Syrian opposition factions fighting the terrorist group.
The drone strike which killed three US troops happened at the military outpost Tower 22- which is near Al-Tanf. A report by the news agency Reuters said that Tanf has also assumed a role as part of an American strategy to contain Iran’s military build-up in eastern Syria.
Little is publicly known about the base. Reuters reported that Tower 22 is located close enough to US troops at Tanf that it could potentially help support them. It is a strategically important location in Jordan.
It is not yet known how many how many US troops are actually stationed on Tower 22, and it is also unclear what type of weapons are kept at the base, and what air defences are used.
Jordan condemns attack
On Sunday, the Jordanian government condemned the drone strike and said that the attack “did not result in any casualties among officers of the Jordan Armed Forces.” The government said that US troops at Al-Tanf have been cooperating with “Jordan in countering terrorism and securing the border.”
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Meanwhile, Iran denied US President Biden’s accusation that it supported militant groups behind the drone strike. “These claims are made with specific political goals to reverse the realities of the region,” IRNA quoted foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani as saying.
Kanaani added that such statements threatened “regional and international peace and stability.”
(With inputs from agencies)
