The drone attack in northeastern Jordan Sunday killed three Army reservists from Georgia and injured more than 40 others, complicating the Biden administration’s efforts to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spiraling into a broader regional conflict.
The Pentagon identified those killed as Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah; Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton; and Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross.
They were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade at Fort Moore, previously called Fort Benning, in Southwest Georgia. And they were deployed near the Syrian border against the Islamic State. The attack hit a logistics support base located at Tower 22 in northeastern Jordan, according to U.S. Central Command. About 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel are deployed there.
Eight of the injured were evacuated to Baghdad, while five others have been assessed for mild traumatic brain injuries and are expected to return to duty, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Monday.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of militias backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it revenge for America’s military presence in the region and the Palestinian death toll in Gaza, NPR reported.
“Our teams here are continuing to do the analysis but we know that Iran is behind it,” Singh said. “Iran continues to arm and equip these groups.”
Iran denied it was behind the attack, the Associated Press reported.
“These claims are made with specific political goals to reverse the realities of the region,” Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani as saying.
U.S. forces may have mistaken the enemy drone for an American one and let it pass unchallenged, the AP reported, citing unnamed officials.
The drone strike followed more than 160 other attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17, Singh said. Eighty U.S. personnel were injured in those attacks, though none seriously.
President Joe Biden called Sunday’s attack in Jordan “despicable and wholly unjust.”
“Have no doubt: We will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner (of) our choosing,” he wrote on X Sunday.
Last night, three U.S. service members were killed, and many wounded, during an unmanned aerial drone attack on our forces stationed in northeast Jordan near the Syria border.
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 28, 2024
Jill and I join the families and friends of our fallen in grieving the loss of these warriors in this…
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III also issued a statement Sunday, saying: “Iran-backed militias are responsible for these continued attacks on U.S. forces, and we will respond at a time and place of our choosing.”
“The president and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces, and we will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests,” Austin said.
Sanders and Moffett enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2019 as horizontal construction engineers. They were first assigned to the 381st Engineer Company in Tifton. In 2021, Sanders completed an 8-month rotation to Djibouti in East Africa. Rivers enlisted in 2011 as an interior electrician. Seven years later, he completed a 9-month rotation to Iraq.
Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, chief of Army Reserve and commanding general for the U.S. Army Reserve Command, mourned their deaths.
“The loss of Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett has left an indelible mark on the United States Army Reserve,” Daniels said, adding: “Their service and sacrifice will not be forgotten, and we are committed to supporting those left behind in the wake of this tragedy.”
Sanders’ parents told the Associated Press Monday she volunteered to deploy, eager for a chance to see a different part of the world.
“She was loved. She didn’t have any enemies. All the time you saw her smiling,” Sanders’ father, Shawn Sanders, told the AP. “This is somebody who was just living life, enjoying life at a young age, working toward a career.”
Located in Southeast Georgia, her hometown of Waycross honored her on Facebook Monday.
“The city is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Kennedy Ladon Sanders, who gave her life in service to our country,” the city said in its post. “We offer our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends during this difficult time. In honor of her sacrifice, the city has lowered our flags to half-mast today. We are also working on additional ways to pay tribute to Kennedy and her service. Our thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones as they mourn this tremendous loss.”
Gov. Brian Kemp, first lady Marty Kemp and their daughters also expressed condolences Monday.
“Marty, the girls, and I are saddened to learn of the deaths of three service members based out of Georgia,” the governor’s office said. “These soldiers gave the last full measure of devotion in service to this country.
“This inexcusable loss of life and the attack from terrorists that resulted in these casualties is a reminder of why we stand with the friends of liberty. The entire Kemp family asks that Georgians everywhere join us in keeping the loved ones of those lost in this attack in our thoughts and prayers in the days ahead.”
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson posted on X about the three Army reservists from Georgia, saying: “These heroes gave their lives in service to our country. May we always remember that freedom is not free.”
The City of #Savannah joins me in mourning the tragic loss of three U.S. Army Reserve soldiers from Georgia including Savannah's very own, Specialist Breonna Moffett.
— Mayor Van Johnson (@MayorJohnsonSAV) January 29, 2024
These heroes gave their lives in service to our country.
May we always remember that freedom is not free.
Credit: Department of Defense
Credit: Department of Defense
Credit: Department of Defense
Credit: Department of Defense
Credit: Department of Defense
Credit: Department of Defense
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