Attack drone that killed US troops in Jordan mistaken for US drone, report suggests
- US officials explain why troops at base in Jordan did to try to stop drone attack
- The attack on Sunday killed three US soldiers and wounded more than 40 troops
US forces may have mistaken an enemy drone for an American one and let it pass unchallenged into a desert base in Jordan where it killed three US troops and wounded dozens more, officials said on Monday.
Details of the Sunday attack emerged as US President Joe Biden faced a difficult balancing act, blaming Iran and looking to strike back in a forceful way without causing any further escalation of the Gaza conflict.
As the enemy drone was flying in at a low altitude, a US drone was returning to the small installation known as Tower 22, according to a preliminary report cited by two officials, who were not authorised to comment and insisted on anonymity.
As a result, there was no effort to shoot down the enemy drone that hit the outpost. One of the trailers where troops sleep sustained the brunt of the strike, while surrounding trailers got limited damage from the blast and flying debris.
While there are no large air defence systems at Tower 22, the base does have counter-drone systems, such as Coyote drone interceptors.
Aside from the soldiers killed, the Pentagon said more than 40 troops were wounded in the attack, most with cuts, bruises, brain injuries and similar wounds.
