By Blessing Nweke
The United States has identified the first American service members killed since launching a new war against Iran alongside Israel, after a deadly drone strike on a military command centre in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait.
Six soldiers died on Sunday when what the US military described as an “unmanned aircraft system” evaded air defences and struck a tactical operations centre. US Central Command initially reported three fatalities, but confirmed on Monday that the death toll had doubled after one soldier succumbed to injuries and two additional bodies were recovered from the rubble.
Four of the deceased, all members of the US Army Reserve, were identified as Capt Cody Khork, 35; Sgt Noah Tietjens, 42; Sgt Nicole Amor, 39; and Sgt Declan Coady, 20.
Khork, a Florida resident, had previously deployed to Saudi Arabia, Guantanamo Bay and Poland. Amor, from Minnesota, had served in Kuwait and Iraq, while Tietjens, of Nebraska, had completed two prior deployments to Kuwait. All three were decorated service members. Coady, an Iowa native who enlisted three years ago, was posthumously promoted from specialist.
In a briefing, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said a “powerful weapon” struck a fortified tactical operations centre. However, three US officials told CBS News the personnel had been working in a makeshift trailer office shielded by 12-foot steel-reinforced concrete barriers, raising questions about whether the site was adequately protected.
The US maintains a long-standing defence partnership with Kuwait and stations more than 13,000 troops there. Iran has retaliated against US-aligned Gulf states, launching missile strikes on Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar.
Separately, the US confirmed three fighter jets were downed in an apparent “friendly fire” incident on Monday. All pilots ejected safely. Iranian state media claimed responsibility for the downing without offering evidence.
Original article
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