(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden blamed Iranian-backed militias for a drone attack that targeted U.S. forces in Jordan Sunday, killing three American soldiers and injuring over 40 more.
Their deaths were the first U.S. fatalities after months of strikes by such groups against American troops in the Middle East.
The three Army Reserve soldiers killed were Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia.
Rivers, Sanders and Moffett were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion and 926th Engineer Brigade respectively.
While it remains uncertain how the drone was able to breach the U.S. outpost, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said the incident is being investigated and hopes the findings help prevent any future attacks.
“We’re thinking of the family members and friends who lost loved ones yesterday,” Singh said.
Singh said it’s unlikely the death toll from the attack will rise, but it is expected that injuries will continue to grow as soldiers report symptoms in the days following the attack.
The drone was able to get through and hit barracks where many soldiers were sleeping, Singh explained, which raises questions about how the drone was able to breach the outpost — especially after months of strikes by such groups.
“We are seeing a consistent number of attacks,” she said. “Unfortunately, what we saw yesterday was a drone was able to get through and unfortunately killed three of our service members and injured many, many more. But the consistency of the attacks, the type of munitions, the type of capabilities that we’re using, remains the same.”
Biden responded to the attacks in a written statement on Sunday, saying that the United States “will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner (of) our choosing.” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also responded, saying, “We will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests.”
“The president’s statement was very clear. The secretary’s statement is very clear. We will respond. It will be at a time and place of our choosing, but I’m not going to forecast when that is,” Singh said.