Drone attack by Iraqi militants kills three US service personnel in Jordan

A statement released by the White House on 28 January includes President Biden’s announcement that an attack, “carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq” conducted a drone strike in Jordan the previous day, killing three US military personnel and injuring at least 34 more.

The strike was made against US troops stationed in northeastern Jordan, near the Syrian border. Although the White House openly stated that the full situation is still being assessed, President Biden clearly said the US “shall response […] have no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing”.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed groups, claimed responsibility for the attacks, which targeted three bases, according to Al Jazeera new agency.

“Iran had no connection and had nothing to do with the attack on the U.S. base,” said the Iranian government state news agency IRNA.

According to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy “NAl-Muqawama al-Islamiyah fi al-Iraq” (the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, or IRI) is “an umbrella term used to describe the operations of all Iran-backed militias in Iraq, including strikes into Syria during the October 2023 conflict between Israel and Hamas.”