In March 2016 as part of the fight against the Islamic State [EI ou Daesh]American forces set up a garrison in Al-Tanf, a location in southern Syria that was of strategic importance at the time, since its control made it possible to seal off the Damascus-Baghdad axis and prevent possible jihadist infiltrations in Jordan, by the way Ensuring training for Syrian rebels.
Since then, Daesh's self-proclaimed caliphate has been defeated. Although the Al-Tanf base has not lost its strategic importance, it is still controlled by American troops. Hence the regular attacks by Syrian forces and Iranian-allied militias against the country.
However, to ensure support for its forces stationed in Al-Tanf, the United States established the Tower 22 logistics base in Jordan, less than ten kilometers from the Syrian border. We know very little about it, except that it housed about 350 American soldiers… and that it's easy to find on Google Maps [avec une photographie satellite en prime…]
However, on January 28, this base was attacked by a kamikaze drone [ou munition téléopérée, MTO]. According to US Centcom, the American command for the Middle East and Central Asia, three soldiers were killed. And at least thirty-four others were injured, eight of whom had to be evacuated. That assessment is likely to be revised upwards, he said.
American forces and those of the anti-jihadist coalition have been deployed since October 17th [opération Inherent Resolve, OIR] were attacked 150 times in Iraq [60 fois] and in Syria [90 fois] by militias linked to Iran. The attack on the Tower 22 base is the first of its kind in Jordan.
It is not excluded that it is also a response to the recent attacks by the Royal Jordanian Air Force against Captagon traders [une drogue de type amphétamines] in Syria. Last week, Damascus, which is reaping big profits from this trade, said it believed “such military operations are not justified,” while ensuring it wanted to “avoid stoking tensions and jeopardizing the further recovery” of its “brotherly regime.” to jeopardize relations” with Amman.
Regardless, US President Joe Biden has promised retaliation against those responsible for the attack on the Tower 22 base.
” Today [28 janvier], America has a heavy heart. Last night, three U.S. soldiers were killed and several injured in a drone strike against our forces in northeastern Jordan, near the Syrian border. […] We know this was carried out by Iran-backed radical fighter groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” Mr. Biden said. “There is no doubt about it: we will hold everyone responsible accountable when and how we want,” he assured afterwards.
“We will take all necessary measures to defend the United States, our troops and our interests,” said Lloyd Austin, the Pentagon chief.
I send my sincere condolences to Lloyd Austin @SecDef and for the American nation after the attack that claimed the lives of three American soldiers.
The United States can count on our support as we jointly fight terrorism in the Middle East and elsewhere. https://t.co/Ek5DfHA3Ya
— Sébastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) January 28, 2024
After confirming that the attack on American troops did not take place in Jordan but in Al-Tanf, the Jordanian government finally condemned the attack on the Tower 22 base through its spokesman Muhannad Mubaidin. And it is worth remembering that military cooperation with the United States mainly concerns the fight against terrorism and border security operations.
“Jordan will continue to fight terrorism and drug and weapons smuggling across the Syrian border. It will confront anyone who attempts to attack the security of the Kingdom with firmness and resolve,” he said.
It remains to be seen who is behind this attack… Via Telegram, the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq”, which brings together several armed groups allied to Iranian interests, claimed attacks against “three bases on Syrian territory”, including those of Al – Tanf and Rukban. And Tehran, for its part, denied any responsibility. Iranian diplomacy argued that it was a “conflict between the United States and 'resistance' groups in the region.”
In recent weeks, the US has responded to attacks on its troops in Iraq and Syria with occasional attacks on pro-Tehran militias and positions of the Quds Force, a unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. They will probably do the same after the attack on Tower 22 base, as attacking Iran directly is out of the question for them.