The three American servicemen who lost their lives on Sunday in an unmanned aerial drone strike on a base in northeast Jordan have been identified by the Pentagon.
Sen. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia, died Jan. 28, 2024, in Jordan, according to a news release issued by the Defense Department on Monday. “A one-way unmanned aerial system (OWUAS) impacted their container housing units,” the Pentagon reported, setting off the attack.
Francine Moffett, the mother of Spc. Moffett issued a statement in which she said, “Breonna was a very attractive and intelligent young woman. She was gregarious, loved to laugh, and had a large number of incredibly close friends. She had a constant smile on her face and could make you smile too. She proudly wore her uniform, knowing that she would spend some time in the military. She had a great fondness for her siblings. She was proud to announce to others that she loved the ROTC and was a drum major for the Windsor Forest Marching Knights. Our souls and hearts have been shattered. She expressed a desire to return to the ROTC program to serve as a mentor and volunteer after her service. She simply adores being of service to others.”
On Monday, Pentagon assistant press secretary Sabrina Singh informed reporters that the attack was distinct from previous ones due to its location and timing, occurring in residential quarters and at “pretty early morning.”
“People were actually in their beds when the drone impacted,” she stated.
Singh also attributed the drone assault to a group supported by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to the US, the organizations are active in Iraq and Syria. Although a definitive assessment has not yet been completed, she stated that the attack bore “footprints” of Kataib Hezbollah. She also stated that U.S. forces will respond “at a time and place of their choosing.”
The attack is being looked into, according to the department.
Subsequently, on Monday, a U.S. official stated that it seemed the attack was carried out by an Iranian drone, a “type of Shahed drone” — the kind of unmanned aerial vehicle Iran has been supplying to Russia.
The Department of Defense estimates that about 350 members of the US Army and Air Force are stationed at Tower 22, the location of the attack.
Singh stated on Monday that the toll has risen to 40, despite the U.S. Central Command’s statement on Sunday night that at least 34 people had been hurt. According to a defense official who spoke with CBS News, eight of the injured service personnel were evacuated; some were in serious condition but everyone was stable.
When the drone strike happened in the early hours of the morning, the soldiers who were killed and injured were in their sleeping quarters on the base.
The strike was thought to be the deadliest assault on American service members since a suicide bombing in Kabul during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 claimed the lives of thirteen Americans.
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