[pjw] NEWS: Biden vows to get those who killed 3 US troops in Jordan

[Peace and Justice Works]

Hi
Wasn't it just yesterday I wrote this list with the advice to watch for 
the use of the term "Iran-backed" in statements by the media? Well, below 
is an AP article which uses the term TWICE in reporting on a drone strike 
in Jordan against a US base that killed three service members and injured 
about two dozen more. US base in Jordan is also a phrase that gives rise 
to the question why does the US have a base in Jordan?

But thinking about this story when I first heard it on the news, I think 
maybe I should start writing "the US-backed Israeli Defense Forces" since 
the US funds and supports everything they do. Does that mean the US TOLD 
THEM to go bomb Gaza into rubble and kill thousands of people? No it does 
not. So maybe write to your favorite/least favorite/visited news outlets 
and tell them to cut that nonsense out.

ANYWAY, my point was that Biden says he is going to hold the people 
responsible at a time and in a manner of his choosing, meaning there's 
just no international law any more. No taking such things to the UN (or 
the International Court of Justice, which the US is planning to ignore 
anyway). I dread what this retaliation will look like, especially given 
the two weeks of bombing Yemen that have happened so far.
dan handelman
peace and justice works iraq affinity group

  https://www.oregonlive.com/nation/2024/01/3-americans-killed-many-wounded-in-drone-attack-by-iran-backed-militia-in-jordan-biden-says.html
3 US troops killed, `many' wounded in drone attack by Iran-backed militia in
Jordan, Biden says
      * Updated: Jan. 28, 2024, 10:01 a.m.|
      * Published: Jan. 28, 2024, 9:10 a.m.
    By
      * The Associated Press

    COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Three American troops were killed and "many"
    were wounded Sunday in a drone strike in northeast Jordan near the
    Syrian border, President Joe Biden said. He blamed Iran-backed
    militias for the first U.S. fatalities after months of strikes by the
    groups against American forces across the Middle East amid
    the Israel-Hamas war.

    With an increasing the risk of military escalation in the region, U.S.
    officials were working to conclusively identify the precise group
    responsible for the attack, but they have assessed that one of several
    Iranian-backed groups was behind it.

    Biden said the United States "will hold all those responsible to
    account at a time and in a manner (of) our choosing."

    According to a U.S. official, at least 25 U.S. service members were
    wounded, but that number may grow. The official, who spoke on condition
    of anonymity to discuss details not made public, said a large drone
    struck the base, which is in Jordan, right on the Syrian border. It is
    used largely by troops involved in the advise-and-assist mission for
    Jordanian forces. The small installation includes U.S. engineering,
    aviation, logistics and security troops.

    Jordanian state television quoted Muhannad Mubaidin, a government
    spokesman, as insisting the attack happened outside of the kingdom
    across the border in Syria. U.S. officials insisted that the attack
    took place in Jordan.

    U.S. troops long have used Jordan, a kingdom bordering Iraq, Israel,
    the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, Saudi Arabia and Syria, as
    a basing point. U.S. Central Command said 25 service members were
    injured the attack in addition to the three killed.

    Some 3,000 American troops typically are stationed in Jordan.

    Two U.S. officials said the attack occurred at the base in northeastern
    Jordan known as Tower 22. Previously released U.S. military photos in
    2018 identify troops working at the base as supporting special
    operation forces in the area, likely across the border into Syria. The
    U.S. military base at al-Tanf in Syria is just some 20 kilometers (12
    miles) north of Tower 22. The installation provide a critical
    logistical hub for U.S. forces in Syria, including those at al-Tanf,
    which is near the intersection of the Iraq, Syria and Jordan borders.

    Since Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip began, U.S. troops in
    Iraq and Syria have faced drone and missile attacks on their bases. The
    attack on Jordan marks the first targeting American troops in Jordan
    during the war and the first to result in the loss of American lives.
    Other attacks have left troops seriously injured, including with
    traumatic brain injuries.

    The U.S. in recent months has struck targets in Iraq, Syria and Yemen
    to respond to attacks on American forces in the region and to deter
    Iranian-backed Houthi rebels from continuing to threaten commercial
    shipping in the Red Sea.

    Biden, who was in Columbia, South Carolina, on Sunday, was briefed by
    Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, national security adviser Jake
    Sullivan, and principal deputy national security adviser Jon Finer,
    White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. He was expected to
    meet again with his national security team later Sunday.

    The president called it a "despicable and wholly unjust attack" and
    said the service members were "risking their own safety for the safety
    of their fellow Americans, and our allies and partners with whom we
    stand in the fight against terrorism. It is a fight we will not cease."

    Syria is still in the midst of a civil war and long has been a launch
    pad for Iranian-backed forces there, including the Lebanese militia
    Hezbollah. Iraq has multiple Iranian-backed Shiite militias operating
    there as well.

    Jordan, a staunch Western ally and a crucial power in Jerusalem for its
    oversight of holy sites there, is suspected of launching airstrikes in
    Syria to disrupt drug smugglers, including one that killed nine people
    earlier this month.

    An umbrella group for Iran-backed factions known as the Islamic
    Resistance in Iraq earlier claimed launching explosive drone attacks
    targeting three areas in Syria, as well as one inside of "occupied
    Palestine." The group has claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks
    against bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria since the
    Israel-Hamas war began.

    ___

    By Zeke Miller. Bassem Mroue, Omar Akour, Jon Gambrell and Lolita C.
    Baldor contributed.