Two women soldiers killed in drone attack on U.S. base
Biden under pressure to hit back at Iran after 3 die and dozens injured
JOE Biden was under mounting pressure to hit back last night after three US troops – two of them women – were killed in a drone strike.
His political opponents have demanded direct attacks on Iran following the assault on a remote Middle East base in which 34 more soldiers were wounded.
However retaliation could further escalate the security crisis in the region.
Exploiting the incident, Donald Trump suggested it was a result of President Biden’s ‘weakness’. Iranian-backed militias have claimed responsibility for Sunday’s three US deaths at the Tower 22 base in Jordan.
Islamic Resistance in Iraq said its actions were in response to American support for Israel. Tehran denied involvement.
The dead US troops were named last night as Sgt William Rivers, 46; Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24; and Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23. All were from Georgia and assigned to the 926th Engineer Brigade.
President Biden says the US will respond at a time and place of its choosing. More than 26,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s response to the October 7 massacre by Hamas while hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced within Gaza.
Anti-US sentiments have spiked in the Middle East and American troops have suffered 170 separate attacks. Retaliatory strikes against Iran’s allies, such as Houthis in
Yemen, have failed to stop these groups hitting US targets and global shipping in the Red Sea.
According to security sources the underlying motive for the latest attack was Tehran’s desire for US forces to leave the region.
The US maintains a military presence in Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The drone strike was on the living quarters at Tower 22, which is part of a string of bases that house 2,500 US troops in Iraq and another 900 in Syria.
These forces have been focused chiefly on preventing a resurgence of Islamic State.
Mr Trump said: ‘This brazen attack is yet another horrific and tragic consequence of Joe Biden’s weakness and surrender.’ Mitch McConnell, who leads the minority Republicans in the US Senate, yesterday implored the White House to impose ‘serious, crippling costs on Iran’.
John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, said last night: ‘We don’t want a wider war in the region, but we’ve got to do what we have to do.’ been made. He said he hoped Hamas would ‘engage positively and constructively in the process’. US president Joe Biden called him for talks about the issues last week.
An Israeli broadcaster, Channel 12, reported that the framework included a 45-day pause in fighting in exchange for the release of 35 hostages. Up to 250 Palestinians could also be released.
Israel Hayom, a Hebrew language newspaper, said that Israeli envoys told negotiators their government would not agree to end the war.
The officials from Mossad and Shin Bet reportedly said Israel was willing to negotiate pauses in fighting, prisoner releases and deliveries of aid.
The Israeli PM’s office said some reports of the terms of the deal were not correct and would not be accepted.