US Troops in Iraq and Syria Attacked 55 Times Since Oct. 17, Pentagon Confirms
These attacks have resulted in 59 injuries, including at least 27 U.S. personnel who have sustained traumatic brain injuries.
U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Syria have come under attack from rockets and explosive-laden one-way drones 55 separate times in the past month, according to deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh.
At a Tuesday press conference, Ms. Singh announced there had been 27 attacks directed at U.S. troops in Iraq and 28 directed at U.S. troops in Syria since Oct. 17.
The Deputy Pentagon press secretary said these attacks have resulted in 59 injuries, including at least 27 U.S. personnel who have sustained traumatic brain injuries and 32 more injured with “other non-serious injuries.” So far, no U.S. personnel have been killed in this pattern of rocket and drone attacks.
“As of today, all 59 have returned to duty,” Ms. Singh announced.
Ms. Singh and other U.S. defense officials have attributed these rocket and drone attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria to various Iran-aligned factions that are active in the region. U.S. forces have, in response, conducted three separate air strikes targeting facilities in eastern Syria that they suspect have been used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in support of these attacks.
Deterrence and Wider Regional Conflict
This recent pattern of attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria has come about after Hamas gunmen stormed into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip and killed at least 1,400 people on Oct. 7. As the Israeli military has carried out a retaliatory military campaign throughout the Gaza Strip in the weeks since the Oct. 7 attacks, the United States has deployed additional military resources to deter additional attacks on Israel and a broader conflict throughout the Middle East.
During the Pentagon press briefing, Ms. Singh insisted the attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria are a “separate issue” from the ongoing Israel–Hamas conflict, and expressed that the Pentagon believes the Israel–Hamas conflict remains contained. As far as the strikes against U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria implicate Iran, Ms. Singh said Iran has long opposed the U.S. presence in those countries and noted U.S. forces have come under attack from Iran-linked groups prior to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
“We saw this back in March. We’ve seen this before, where they attack our forces,” Ms. Singh said of the recent attacks by these groups.
During the Tuesday press briefing, Voice of America reporter Carla Babb noted the recent rocket and drone attacks against U.S. troops in Syria and Iraq have continued despite these three U.S. response strikes against suspected IRGC-linked facilities. Ms. Babb asked if the U.S. strikes were having a deterring effect.
“I think we are being very deliberate on how we and when we conduct our strikes against these groups. And I think that Iran is certainly seeing that message,” Ms. Singh replied.
Response to US Drone Downed By Houthis
Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin separately questioned the efficacy of U.S. military deterrence in the Middle East after Yemen-based Houthis shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone off the coast of Yemen last week. Ms. Griffin noted there has been no U.S. response against the Houthis since that drone was shot down last week and asked if this lack of response is inviting more aggression from them.
Ms. Singh again suggested a U.S. response to the Houthis could be forthcoming, but declined to say so with certainty or provide specifics.
“I’m not saying that we’re not going to respond. We always reserve the right to respond at a time and place of our choosing, but I just don’t have anything to forecast for you right now,” Ms. Singh said.