Eight US military members in Syria wounded in attack drone launched by Iran-backed militants last week, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Tuesday (8/13).
The statement marked the first time the Pentagon has blamed Iranian proxies for the attack that took place on Friday (8/9).
“We assess that the attack was carried out by Iranian-backed militias, but we are still investigating,” Ryder said in response to VOA’s questions during a Pentagon briefing.
Ryder told reporters the service members were being treated for smoke inhalation and traumatic brain injuries. Three of those injured have returned to duty, he added.
Earlier, the US military said several American and coalition personnel were wounded in the attack. drone on Friday night, in the Rumalyn Landing Zone in eastern Syria, but stressed that “none of the injuries were life-threatening.”
The United States has about 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in neighboring Iraq to advise and assist local forces trying to prevent the rise of the ISIS terror group in the region.
The drone strike in Syria marked the second time U.S. military personnel in the Middle East have been injured in an attack this month. Five Americans were wounded in a rocket attack on al-Asad air base in Iraq on Aug. 5, and three were transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for further treatment, according to Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh.
Iran-backed militias have launched dozens of attacks on US forces in the region since Israel began its military campaign in Gaza in response to deadly Hamas terror attacks on October 7. (ab/ns)
