U.S. troops positioned in the Middle East have been attacked 13 times in the last week with a mix of one-way drones and rockets, according to Pentagon officials.
U.S. Department of Defense spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed Tuesday that troops in Iraq had been attacked 10 times between Oct. 17-24, while during the same period troops in Syria had been attacked three times.
Pentagon officials said Monday that all the attacks on U.S. troops have Iran’s fingerprints on them, though there is no evidence at this time showing the country’s leaders ordered the attacks.
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But according to the most up-to-date list which has been reviewed by Central Command (CENTCOM), there were a total of eight attacks. It is unclear where the additional five attacks occurred, which CENTCOM has not yet reported.
On Oct. 18, al Asad base, which is west of Baghdad, U.S. forces engaged two drones, in which one was destroyed, and the second was damaged. There were minor injuries to coalition forces and some damage to the base.
A contractor suffered a heart attack of earlier warnings for an attack that never took place.
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“The same morning in Iraq, early warning systems indicated a possible threat approaching the airbase at al-Assad and Base personnel sheltered in place as a protective measure, though no attack occurred,” Ryder said Thursday during a press briefing. “Sadly, a U.S. civilian contractor suffered a cardiac episode while sheltering [and] passed away shortly thereafter.”
The same day, attacks took place at Al-Harir air base near Erbil and Al Tanf Garrison in Syria. During the former, no injuries were reported, though in the latter, four U.S. service members were injured and have since returned to duty.
On Oct. 19, the USS Carney was in the northern Red Sea when it shot down four land attack cruise missiles and 15 drones that were launched by Houthi forces in Yemen.
Additional attacks that day occurred at the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center near Baghdad International Airport and a mission support site in Euphrates in Northeast Syria; on Oct. 20 at al-Harir air base; and Oct. 23 at Al Tanf Garrison in Syria.
