3 US soldiers killed, many wounded in drone attack in Jordan

US President Joe Biden said Sunday that three US soldiers were killed and many others wounded in a drone attack targeting US forces stationed in northeast Jordan near the border with Syria Saturday night.

The president said in a statement that his administration was still gathering facts about the attack. Nonetheless, he attributed the attack to Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.

In a separate statement, US Central Command confirmed that the number of wounded soldiers stood at 25 in the attack launched by a one-way attack drone. The command said updates will be issued when available.

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

US troops in Syria and Iraq have frequently come under attack since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on October 7, 2023. US retaliatory counterstrikes against Iran-backed militias in the region have so far failed to deter them, culminating in the deaths of US soldiers in attacks for the first time.