Washington

The Pentagon has vowed to take "all necessary actions" to defend the US troops after Iran-backed terrorists killed US soldiers and wounded several others in a drone strike on Al-Tanf, a US military site in Jordan on Sunday (Jan 28).

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Recently discharged Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made the statement and asserted that Pentagon was chalking up a plan to avenge the drone attack. 

“The president and I will not tolerate attacks on US forces and we will take all necessary actions to defend the US and our troops,” Austin said at the Pentagon on Monday (Jan 29).

Pentagon's statement comes a day after US President Joe Biden also blamed Iran for the strike and vowed that Washington would respond.

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"While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq," Biden said in a statement on the attack.

"We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism. And have no doubt -- we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing," he added.

The three US soldiers killed in the attack were also named by the Pentagon on Monday. They have been identified as army reservists Sgt William Jerome Rivers, Spc Breonna Alexsondria Moffett and Spc Kennedy Sanders.

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Sunday's strike was the first deadly attack against US forces since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted on Oct 7 last year. 

Iran denies involvement

Meanwhile, Iran has denied any involvement in the terror attack. Nasser Kanaani, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said it was a "repetition of baseless accusations" from the US side. 

"The groups in the region do not take orders from Iran," Kanaani said. "War is not a solution. An immediate cease-fire in Gaza can lead to the return of peace."

Also watch | West Asia crisis: Three US soldiers killed, at least 34 injured in Jordan drone attack

Where is Al-Tanf based?

According to reports, Al-Tanf is located in Syria on the Iraqi border and within miles of the Jordanian border.

Since 2016, the US garrison at Tanf has served as a launching point for operations against Islamic State and a training area for Syrian opposition factions fighting the terrorist group.

Also read | Biden vows to strike back after drone strike on Jordan base kills 3 US troops

The drone strike took place at the military outpost Tower 22, which is near Al-Tanf. It is not yet known how many US troops are actually stationed on Tower 22, and it is also unclear what type of weapons are kept at the base, and what air defences are used. 

(With inputs from agencies)