Drone strike kills US troops: Who did it and how will the US respond? | DW News

Summary

Three U.S. troops were killed and dozens wounded in a drone attack near a base on Jordan's border with Syria. President Biden blamed Iran-backed militants and vowed to respond. This was the first deadly strike on U.S. soldiers in the region since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. While Iran denies involvement with the groups, defense analysts say Iran funds militias in the region operating under an 'Islamic Resistance' umbrella. There are questions around the level of Iran's coordination in this attack. The U.S. troops were stationed in Jordan to combat ISIS after the Syrian civil war began. Now there is uncertainty around the U.S. response and whether strikes could further escalate tensions and widen the conflict in the region.

Takeaways

• 😣 Three U.S. troops were killed and dozens wounded in a drone attack near a base on Jordan's border with Syria
• 😠 President Biden blamed Iran-backed militants for the attack and vowed to respond
• 😕 This is the first attack that has killed American soldiers in the area since the start of the Israel-Hamas war
• 😟 U.S. officials do not want to see tensions in the Middle East escalate into a regional war
• 🤔 The group claiming responsibility is an umbrella term for Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon
• 😯 Iran denies direct involvement but is known to fund many militia groups in the region
• 🤨 U.S. troops have had a presence in the region since the Syrian civil war to combat ISIS
• 😐 The Iraqi government has asked the U.S. to withdraw troops due to ongoing attacks
• 😫 There is debate around the appropriate U.S. response - from strikes on Iran to sanctions
• 😌 Any U.S. escalation risks widening the war by increasing troop deployments

Q & A

Where did the drone attack that killed 3 US troops take place?

The drone attack took place near a US military base located on Jordan's border with Syria, in the Rukban region.

What group has claimed responsibility for the drone attack?

A group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility, although they are considered an umbrella term for various Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.

How has President Biden responded to the attack?

President Biden blamed Iran-backed militants for the attack and vowed to hold those responsible accountable in a manner and time of the US's choosing.

Why are US troops stationed in Jordan near the Syrian border?

US troops have been stationed there since the Syrian civil war began in 2011 to combat the Islamic State forces.

What kind of response is the US considering?

Options include conducting strikes on Iranian naval assets, decapitation strikes on militant group leaders, or economic sanctions, but it's unclear which approach will be taken.

How credible is Iran's denial of involvement in the attack?

Iran enjoys some deniability since it's hard to directly link them to ordering the attack, but they do fund many of the militia groups suspected of carrying it out.

Has Iran been directly implicated in the attack?

No, more evidence is needed to directly implicate Iran, although their ties to the suspected militant groups are well known.

Why hasn't the Iraqi government wanted US troops stationed in their country?

Due to the ongoing attacks from Iranian-backed militias, the Iraqi government has asked the US to withdraw troops from Iraq.

Could the US response lead to a broader regional conflict?

Yes, there are concerns strikes on Iranian territory or deploying more US troops could escalate tensions and widen the conflict across the Middle East.

What are the goals of the suspected militant groups behind the attack?

While backed by Iran, groups like Hezbollah have their own interests as well, such as targeting common enemies like the US presence in the region.

Outlines

00:00

😕 U.S. troops killed in drone strike near Syria

Paragraph 1 summarizes that 3 U.S. troops were killed and others wounded in a drone strike near a base on Jordan's border with Syria. U.S. blames Iran-backed militants. This is the first time U.S. troops have been killed by enemy fire in the region since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. President Biden vowed to respond and hold those responsible to account.

05:00

⚔️ Background and analysis of the attack

Paragraph 2 provides analysis and context about the attack. It discusses the Iranian government's denial of involvement, though Iran backs many militia groups in the region. It also covers the presence of U.S. troops in the area since the Syrian civil war to combat Islamic State, and the potential U.S. response options and their implications.

Keywords

💡drone

An unmanned aerial vehicle used to conduct the attack that killed the US soldiers. Drones have been used frequently in the region by various militant groups to attack US and coalition forces. The increasing use of drones exemplifies the escalating conflict and tensions.

💡casualty

This attack marks the first casualties and deaths of US troops from enemy fire in the region since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, dramatically escalating tensions. Casualties often act as a turning point, increasing pressure for retaliation.

💡retaliation

Biden promises the US will retaliate against those responsible for the attack, potentially escalating tensions towards war between Iran & its proxies against the US & allies. The threat of retaliation can lead to further attacks.

💡proxy

The attack is blamed on Iranian-backed militia groups that act as proxies, providing Iran some deniability. Proxy groups allow states like Iran to indirectly attack enemies while avoiding blame.

💡withdrawal

The Iraqi government previously asked the US to withdraw troops from Iraq due to similar attacks, but troops remain stationed there and now in Jordan near Syria. Withdrawal of US troops is seen by some as the solution to reducing attacks.

💡deterrence

Military analyst discusses whether potential US retaliation attacks would deter Iran & militias from further strikes against US forces, or rather escalate the cycle of attacks. Effective deterrence is key to avoiding regional war.

💡escalation

A key concern is strikes & retaliation could lead to broader escalation and spread of conflict in the Middle East. Escalation towards full regional war is a severe risk for all sides if tensions are enflamed.

💡sanctions

Economic sanctions are considered another option for deterrence, but their efficacy is questioned, as Iran has continued military advances despite sanctions. Harsh sanctions often impact civilians more than regimes.

💡civil war

US forces were initially stationed in the region to combat ISIS during the Syrian civil war. Internal conflicts create power vacuums that allow terrorist groups to thrive and draw in external powers with competing interests.

💡sovereignty

The attack occurring in Jordan, a US ally, highlights issues of national sovereignty, as Jordan did not face retaliation for housing US troops. Hosting foreign militaries can increase a nation's risk of getting drawn into conflicts.

Highlights

First time US troops have been killed by enemy fire in Middle East since start of Gaza War

US officials do not want to see tensions in Middle East broaden into regional war

Over 160 drone attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria since start of war, but no serious injuries until now

Killing of 3 Americans is significant escalation of already precarious situation in Middle East

Biden promises to hold those responsible for attack to account in manner and timing of US choosing

Attack carried out by Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq

Iran denies involvement but is known to fund militia groups in the region

Difficult to prove if attack ordered by Iran leadership, though they assist with coordination

US troops originally deployed to combat Islamic State after start of Syrian civil war

Iraq has asked US to withdraw troops due to ongoing attacks by militia

Tensions between Iran and US have been building for years

Questions around whether US response will be enough to deter Iran and militias

Economic sanctions alone have not stopped Iran's military development

Strikes in Yemen not stopping Houthi attacks

Possible increased US troop deployment could widen the war

Transcripts

the United States says three of its

troops have been killed and dozens more

wounded in a drone attack near a base on

Jordan's border with Syria us officials

say the Drone struck near a Barracks at

the base in the rukban region it's the

first time a strike has killed American

soldiers in the area since the start of

the Israel Hamas War President Joe Biden

blamed iran-backed militants for the

attack and vowed to respond Iran denies

any

involvement

DW's Washington bureau chief inz pole

has

more well the killing of the three

Americans in Jordan near the border with

Syria is definitely a significant

escalation of an already precarious

situation in the Middle East uh this is

the first time as you just mentioned

that US troops have been killed by enemy

fire in the Middle East since the

beginning of the Gaza War and the prompt

reaction of President Biden kind of

underlines the significance uh of this

attack he promised to hold those

responsible for the attack I quote him

to account at a time and in a manner our

choosing and he also said I quote him

here as well we know it was carried out

by radical iran-backed militant groups

operating in Syria and Iraq us officials

have repeatedly said that they do not

want to see uh the increasingly High

tensions across the Middle East broaden

into a regional War uh and indeed there

have been more than 160 Oro attacks on

us and Coalition forces in Iraq uh and

Syria since the war started however

until today official officials have

described uh the constant volley of

drones rockets and and missiles as

unsuccessful because they have not

caused Serious injury or damage to

infrastructure this

of course has changed with today and

given the increasing political pressure

President Biden is facing from the

Republican party in this election year

which has just started it indeed doesn't

seem unlikely that the US will increase

their military involvement and with that

of course comes an increasing risk that

the conflict will spread throughout the

whole Middle

East well for more let's bring in Marina

Miran here she's a defense analyst with

King's College London Marina do we know

who's responsible for this

attack good morning Terry well

apparently a group called um um the

Islamic resistance in Iraq is

responsible for this now we have to

understand that this is not a group per

se rather this is an umbrella term used

for Iranian backed militias both in Iraq

and Syria and Lebanon for that matter so

hollah could be such a group so there is

no knowledge which of the militant

groups is responsible for this attack

but it is under this umbrella so it it

is believed and they did claim that the

attack was conducted by

them the Iranian government says it had

nothing to do with the incident but we

know that Iran funds many of these

militia groups in the region how

credible is Iran's claim of

denial well it is interesting because um

Iran will of course enjoy a thin blanket

of plausible deniability because it's

very difficult to demonstrate whether

Ayatollah or or racy were actually

ordering an attack what is important to

understand here while these groups are

being backed by Iran they still have

their own goals um hoodies for example

so they they have some common enemies

like the United States in the region

however in how far the attack has been

coordinated by Iran needs to be proven

it is known that the um Islamic

revolutionary guard CA a cod's force has

been helping these groups to coordinate

attacks so more evidence is needed in

order to implicate

Iran talk to us a little about the US

presence in the region right there where

this attack took place why are US troops

even stationed in Jordan near the border

to

Syria well we have to go back some uh 14

years and remember why the US troops

were there in the first place and the

reason was um on the in the wake of the

Syrian Civil War the US troops were

there to combat the Islamic state so

they stationed not only in Jordan which

is an ally and that's why that position

was not well protected because an ally

country as opposed to Syria um or as

opposed to say Iraq where um there is a

danger of such strikes and therefore we

have US troops across the Middle East uh

stationed since since that time and

right now the Iraqi government has um

asked the US to withdraw its troops from

Iraq because of these ongoing attacks so

this has been going for for for a while

now and prior to Israel Hamas War in

October there were incidents where these

groups were attacking US forces but it

has never come to casualty and we might

might remember um Donald Trump's

response to one of them um killing in

the decapitation strike the former

commander of the cuds force um kasim

sumani so this this conflict between

Iran and the United States has been

developing for many years now right US

President Joe Biden said that the US

would respond to this attack what kind

of response are you

expecting well there seems to be um a

lack of clarity in terms of how to

respond the Republicans want the US to

conduct strikes on the Iranian territory

and that would be the first in history

and that indeed uh in these

circumstances might lead to an broader

escalation of the conflict it is like a

powder CAG however there are other

options um such as striking Iranian

Naval Assets in the Persian Gulf and

conducting again decapitation strikes

against leaders of these militant groups

Under the Umbrella of the Islamic

resistance um of Iraq so there are these

options on the table however the

question is is it going to be enough to

deter both these groups and Iran from

stopping the attacks is this deterrent

credible another option is of course

that can be used in conjunction are

economic sanctions but it seems like

Iran has still flourished in terms of

its military developments uh under

economic sanctions so the idea is to

identify the centers of gravity in order

for the strategy to work to impose um

such measures that would indeed scare

Iran and these groups off uh and prevent

further attacks and we're seeing that

strikes against huti in in Yemen they

they are not making them stop so I'm

wondering which of these strategies will

be chosen or a conjunction of them and

whether they will be successful and

whether it might lead to um an increased

deployment of US troops to the region

which might widen the

war Marina thank you very much for your

insights that was defense analyst Marina

mirin of King's College

London thank you for having

me