The U.S. military said Sunday that another American service member was killed as part of the war with Iran, bringing the total number of deaths to 17. The deaths reflect the complicated reality that American boots don’t need to be on the ground for there to be lethal risks in a conflict that involves drones, missiles and airplanes.
Background of the Conflict
American forces are arrayed across the Middle East, making other nations targets of Iran as the fighting has escalated after a breakdown in peace talks. President Donald Trump has said the war is necessary to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
The first fatalities came soon after the war started, with six American soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike at a civilian port in Kuwait. A seventh soldier died more than a week after being wounded during a March 1 attack by Iran on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
LATER in March, six service members were killed when a KC-135 refueling aircraft supporting U.S. military operations against Iran crashed in Iraq. The aircraft was in “friendly” airspace when an unspecified incident involving another aircraft took place, according to U.S. Central Command.
On Monday, the U.S. military said a Navy pilot died in a helicopter crash in the Arabian Sea. The Navy initially described the July 1 crash as an emergency landing and said there was “no indication the emergency was caused by hostile action.” The remaining three sailors aboard the helicopter were rescued.
Recent Developments
Drones and missiles are still claiming lives, with two service members killed in Jordan on Friday while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. A third service member was missing after that attack, and the military said Sunday that “unidentified remains” were found and were being examined.
The latest U.S. military death from the conflict was on Saturday in northern Iraq when an American service member in northern Iraq was killed during a “controlled detonation” of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone, U.S. Central Command said Sunday. A second service member was wounded and was receiving medical treatment for a minor injury.
Original reporting: Oklahoma City News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
