Two dozen U.S. troops injured in Iran-backed militia strikes

'In this moment of heightened alert, we are vigilantly monitoring the situation'

By Micaela Burrow

Daily Caller News Foundation

Recent drone attacks on American troops stationed in the Middle East caused at least two dozen injuries, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed to NBC News.

Since Oct. 18, Iranian proxy militias launched one-way attack drones and rockets at sites hosting American troops in Iraq and Syria a total of 13 times, the Pentagon said Tuesday afternoon. The number of attacks was slightly higher than previously known, and until now the Pentagon had maintained silence up through Tuesday about injuries sustained by U.S. troops as a result of the drone and rocket strikes, according to NBC News.

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Militia groups with deep ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran’s paramilitary organization that answers to the Ayatollah, amped up attempts to harm U.S. service members in recent days. Pentagon leaders fear the groups intend to spark wider conflict in the Middle East and have identified a significant risk to U.S. troops in the region for the near future.

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In the first attack on Oct. 18, U.S. troops stationed at al-Tanf base in southern Syria intercepted two of three drones coming their way, CENTCOM said in a press release at the time. Troops sustained “minor injuries” after destroying one drone and damaging the other, but the command had not disclosed the number of casualties.

Operations to shoot the drones down caused minor injuries to 20 U.S. military personnel at al-Tanf, CENTCOM told NBC News on Tuesday. All wounded troops have since returned to duty and the base did not incur any damage, CENTCOM said.

Four additional U.S. service members suffered minor injuries at two separate, additional attacks occurring the same day at al-Asad base in western Iraq, NBC News reported, citing CENTCOM. All of the drones were shot down, but falling debris destroyed a hangar containing a small aircraft.

“In this moment of heightened alert, we are vigilantly monitoring the situation in Iraq and the region. We want to emphasize U.S. forces will defend U.S. and Coalition forces against any threat,” CENTCOM said at the time.

As attacks on installations throughout the region where American troops are present mount, the Pentagon has taken additional steps to bolster defenses in the CENTCOM region to protect U.S. troops.

“Should there be a response, if there is to be one, the Department will do so at the time and place of our choosing,” Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a briefing Monday.

A squadron of fighter aircraft arrived in the area on Tuesday, and a group of warships is on its way. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered troops to stand at the ready to deploy to the region if needed and activated additional Patriots and a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to augment air defenses in the area.

CENTCOM did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

This story originally was published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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