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Washington
CNN
—
The United States believes that an umbrella group of extremists called the Islamic Resistance of Iraq was behind a drone attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members, the White House said Wednesday. It was announced that it was officially recognized for the first time.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, “The attack in Jordan was planned, financed, and facilitated by an umbrella group called the Islamic Resistance Movement of Iraq, which includes multiple groups, including Kataib Hezbollah.” “I think so,” he said.
He stopped short of placing exact responsibility on Kataib Hezbollah, saying it was not the only group responsible for past attacks on U.S. military bases.
“This certainly has the hallmarks of something Kataib Hezbollah does,” he added, “and the attribution that our intelligence agencies are satisfied with is that this was carried out by an umbrella group called the Islamic Resistance Movement of Iraq.” It means it was done.”
The attack was the most serious of a number of attacks targeting U.S. forces in the Middle East since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, and the deadliest U.S. service member has been killed by direct fire in the Middle East since the attack. It’s my first time.
The slain service member was identified as Sgt. William Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia. Sergeant Kennedy Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia. And Sgt. Breonna Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia. The Army Reserve said Sanders and Moffett were posthumously promoted from the rank of specialist officer to sergeant.
Biden will meet with the families of each of the three service members on Tuesday and attend a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base on Friday, officials said.
In addition to the three killed, more than 40 U.S. military personnel were injured. Three of the injured soldiers were taken to a German hospital on Tuesday night for further treatment. All three are reported to be stable, but one is in critical condition
Kirby said there will be multiple stages to the counterattack as the United States prepares to respond to the attack.
“We’re on our own schedule, in our own time,” he said, later adding, “The first thing you see won’t be the last.”
He said U.S. intelligence agencies were monitoring for signs that groups in the region were moving resources ahead of a U.S. counterattack.
Biden told reporters on Tuesday that he had decided how to respond to the attack, but remained vague about what exactly that response would be.
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