WASHINGTON – About 900 more U.S. troops are deploying to the Middle East in response to the Hamas-Israel conflict, as U.S. forces in Iraq suffered another attack Thursday by an Iranian proxy group, Pentagon spokesman Gen. Air Patrick Ryder.
Troops, some of whom had previously been placed on “ready to deploy” status, began arriving in the region on Thursday, while others are preparing to leave in the coming hours and days, Ryder said.
“The (Defense) Department remains resolutely focused on supporting Israel’s defense needs in the wake of Hamas terrorist attacks, deterring broader regional conflict, and ensuring force protection for our troops serving in the region,” he said.
Ryder did not say where in the Middle East the troops would be deployed, but he specified that they would not be sent to Israel.
The 900 service members include a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Battery from Fort Bliss, Texas; Patriot missile system batteries from Fort Sill, Oklahoma and Fort Liberty, North Carolina; Fort Liberty Avenger Air Defense System Batteries; and “associated air defense headquarters elements” from Fort Bliss and Fort Cavazos, Texas, according to Ryder.
About 900 more U.S. troops are deploying to the Middle East in response to the conflict between Hamas and Israel. AFP via Getty Images
The announcement came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that he would delay his country’s pending ground offensive in Gaza to give the United States time to position missile defenses to protect against an expected increase in backed terrorist attacks. by Iran against US troops in the region.
The United States is racing to deploy more than 10 air defense systems to protect service members stationed in Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates from missile and rocket attacks, defense officials said.
While defense officials expect aggression against US forces in the Middle East to increase after Israel launches its ground offensive, there has already been a worrying increase in attacks against US troops in Iraq and Syria in recent weeks.
“What we’re seeing here is that in Iraq and Syria, where our forces are there as part of the mission to defeat ISIS, these groups – many of which have been in that region for a long time – are carrying out these attacks against the American forces,” Ryder said. saying.
U.S. forces in Iraq suffered another attack Thursday by an Iranian proxy group, Pentagon spokesman Air Force Gen. Patrick Ryder said.
That trend continued Thursday with an unnamed Iran-backed terrorist group launching another attack against U.S. forces stationed at Erbill Air Base in Iraq on Thursday, Ryder said.
“I would tell you that between October 17 and October 26, US and coalition forces have been attacked at least 12 separate times in Iraq (and) four separate times in Syria using a combination of drones and one-way attack rockets “Ryder said. . “Again, we will continue to review those numbers as new information comes in.”
Ryder described Thursday’s attack on the Erbil air base as “unsuccessful” and said there were “no injuries or significant damage.”
However, more than 20 US soldiers have been injured in previous attacks since October 17, including some who suffered traumatic brain injuries. While no one has died, an American contractor died of a heart attack on October 18 while taking cover from a suspected drone attack on Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn