from AP
U.S. 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 U.S. troops and wounded dozens more, officials said Monday.
Details
of the Sunday attack emerged as 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 U.S. drone was returning to the small installation known as Tower 22, according to a preliminary report cited by two officials, who were not authorized to comment and insisted on anonymity,
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 defense
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...
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