How killer drone got in

U.S. post in Jordan hit after mistaking enemy device for its own: report

An enemy drone was able to slip past U.S. air defenses and kill three American troops in Jordan because it used the airspace at the same time as a friendly drone, according to a preliminary report shared Monday.

The three Americans were killed early Sunday morning in a strike on an outpost, Tower 22, in the very northeast corner of Jordan. Another 34 U.S. troops were wounded in the strike.

An enemy drone approached the installation at a low altitude at the same time an American drone was returning, according to two U.S. officials who spoke with The Associated Press. That allowed the attacking drone to advance unimpeded and strike a trailer where troops were sleeping.

The White House did not immediately confirm or comment on the preliminary findings, which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Sunday’s attack was the first time American troops have been killed in the escalating conflict in the Middle East that began with Hamas’ Oct. 7 operation against Israel.

President Biden said Sunday that “radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq” were behind the attack. However, U.S. intelligence had not identified the exact group on Monday.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group for militias supported by Iran, claimed responsibility for three different drone attacks on Sunday but not the one on Tower 22 in Jordan. Iranian officials denied any connection to the attack.

“We will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing,” Biden said in his statement Sunday.

The U.S. has gradually increased its presence and engagement in the Middle East since the conflict began. When the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen started attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, the U.S. Navy responded with force to protect the global shipping corridor.

As conflict with the Houthis continued, the U.S. struck targets inside Yemen.

“We are not looking for a war with Iran. We are not looking to escalate the tensions any more than they already have been escalating,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Sunday. “That said, this was a very serious attack. It had lethal consequences. We will respond, and we respond appropriately.”

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PBC VIA AP PLANET LABS Aerial view of U.S. outpost in Jordan called Tower 22, which was attacked by a drone Sunday that arrived at same time as a friendly drone, thus escaping detection and blasting a trailer, killing three soldiers and wounding 34 others. President Biden (below) blamed Iran for the attack, but Iran denies it and there’s no proof.