A US contractor was killed when a suspected Iranian-made drone struck base in Syria’s north-east
The United States has carried out airstrikes on an Iran-backed group in Syria, after a US contractor was killed when a suspected Iranian-made drone attacked a coalition base in the country’s north-east.
Five US service members and one other US contractor were wounded in the attack on the coalition base on Thursday, the Pentagon said. Two of the wounded service members were treated on site, while three others and the injured contractor were transported to medical facilities in Iraq.
In a statement released later on Thursday, the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, said US Central Command forces retaliated against the attack with “precision airstrikes” against facilities in eastern Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
The defence department said the intelligence community had determined the unmanned aerial vehicle used in the attack on the coalition base was of Iranian origin.
