6 US soldiers killed in Iranian drone strike in Kuwait

International

AMID the ongoing conflict involving the United States (US), Israel, and Iran, six American soldiers have been confirmed dead following an Iranian strike on a US military facility in Kuwait.

The US military identified four of the six fallen US Army Reserve soldiers who were killed in the attack. They were named as Capt. Cody Khork, 35; Sgt. Noah Tietjens, 42; Sgt. Nicole Amor, 39; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20.

The strike occurred after an unmanned aircraft system (drone) reportedly evaded air defenses and hit a military facility in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait.

Initially, US Central Command reported that three soldiers had died in the attack. However, on Monday, the death toll rose to six after one soldier succumbed to injuries sustained in the strike and two additional bodies were recovered from the rubble, a report by BBC said.

During a Monday briefing, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the attack as being carried out by a “powerful weapon” that struck a fortified tactical operations center. However, some US military officials with direct knowledge of the incident questioned that characterization. They stated that the personnel were working inside a trailer that was shielded only by 12-foot (3.7-meter) steel-reinforced concrete barriers, which may not have provided sufficient protection.

The US maintains more than 13,000 troops in Kuwait as part of its long-standing defense partnership with the Gulf nation.

Iran has also launched missile strikes targeting other US-allied Gulf countries, including Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar.

In a separate incident on Monday, three US fighter jets crashed in Kuwait in what the military described as “friendly fire,” meaning they were accidentally shot down by their own forces. All pilots successfully ejected and survived.

Meanwhile, Iranian state media claimed that Iranian forces were responsible for downing the jets, although no evidence was provided to support the claim.(Iah Jennil Mirarza, BiPSU Comm Intern)