Jordan attack mapped as Iran drones kill 3 US troops amid World War 3 fears
President Joe Biden has warned that the US “will respond” after three American troops were killed in a US army base in Jordan.
The attack was allegedly carried out by Iranian -linked militias who have attacked US bases multiple times since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. But this was the first attack which has resulted in American fatalities, with three killed and 30 injured, some seriously.
It represents a major escalation of conflict in the region as militias in the Middle East attempt to drag the US into a conflict. As the US braces to issue a retaliatory attack on the Iranian-backed militias, the Mirror takes a look at the context behind the overnight strike on the weekend.
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Tower 22, is near the al-Tanf garrison, which was a vital base in the battle vs ISIS in the region (Anadolu via Getty Images)Months of tit-for-tat
Iranian-backed militias have been capitalising on the smokescreen of chaos with the world’s attention focussed on Israel’s bloody invasion of Gaza, launching repeated strikes against US army bases since October 17. It began with a wave of 170 strikes on US bases in Syria, Jordan and Iraq in response to the US’ military and financial support for Israel’s war on Gaza.
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Dozens have been injured in the strikes, including in al-Asad Airbase, Al-Tanf garrison, Al-Harir Airbase, oil fields in eastern Syria, and an IED attack on a patrol near the Mosul Dam. The Hemo base in north of Hasakah province was evacuated by the US army after a strike on January 10, with 350 staff relocating to Tal Baidar base.
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The Israel-Hamas conflict has spread across the region since last October (YAHYA ARHAB/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
America has been repeatedly responding to the attacks. In late October, two F-16 fighter jets were sent directly by the Pentagon to strike a weapons storage facility and an ammunition plant at around 4.30am near Abu Kamal - by Syria’s eastern border with Iraq. The US carried out further attacks on Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps bases throughout November, December and January.
Most fatal strike yet
The killing of three Americans at Tower 22 in Jordan - near the border with Syria - is viewed by most as a major escalation of a highly precarious situation in the Middle East. US Central Command confirmed that of those injured, eight were being transported to receive high-level medical care.
President Biden, while stating that facts were still being gathered, paid tribute to the lost Americans: “We know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq. These service members embodied the very best of our nation: Unwavering in their bravery. Unflinching in their duty.
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Biden paid tribute to the servicemen who died at the St John Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina (AFP via Getty Images)
“Unbending in their commitment to our country — risking their own safety for the safety of their fellow Americans, and our allies and partners with whom we stand in the fight against terrorism. … [H]ave no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing.”
The site struck was a vital logistics hub for US forces in Syria, with Jordan's state-run news agency reporting that the country “condemned the terrorist attack” on US troops. Tehran distanced itself from the attack and described accusations of Iranian involvement as “baseless”, adding that they “believe the region does not need more tension or a new war”.
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Not much is known publicly about Tower 22, which is near al-Tanf garrison. Tanf was a vital strategic base in the fight against Islamic State and has since been used amid the US strategy to contain Iran's military buildup in eastern Syria. Tower 22 could support troops at Tanf, allowing them to combat Iran-backed militias and the remnants of IS in the region.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Tehran deny involvement with the strikes, as the Iranian-backed Islamic Resistance claims it (Iranian Supreme Leader's Office/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)Pushing the Americans out of the Middle East
The strikes from Iranian-backed militias may represent an attempt to force the US military presence out of the region by offering it a choice: leave or risk engaging in another full-blown war in the Middle East, which would inevitably result in catastrophic consequences. Biden has reportedly been making efforts to avoid escalation but the IRGC are reportedly making this as difficult as possible for the US.
Efforts to push the U.S.-led military coalition out of Iraq - initially set up to combat ISIS - have been pushed up the agenda after the assassination of Mushtaq Talib Al-Saeedi, a senior Iraqi militant of the Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba and senior commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces, which controls 230,000 fighters and engaged in almost every battle against ISIS since 2014.
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Al-Saeedi, 43, was assassinated on January 4, prompting the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani, to announce the process of removing the US coalition would soon begin. After further attacks on Iraq on 24 January by the US military, the Iraqi government and US agreed to open negotiations on America’s future military presence in the country.
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