️ US military leadership has confirmed the identities of four of the six soldiers killed in the conflict with Iran. ️ The US service members were killed on Sunday when an "unmanned aircraft system" evaded air defenses to strike a command center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait. ️ US Central Command... initially reported three deaths, but officials confirmed on Monday that the death toll had doubled after one person succumbed to injuries and two more bodies were found in the rubble. ️ Those identified by the Pentagon are Capt. Cody Khork, 35, Sgt. Noah Tietjens, 42, Sgt. Nicole Amor, 39, and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, who was posthumously promoted from specialist. All four were members of the Army Reserve, which, according to its website, provides logistical support to broader US military operations. ️ US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll stated, "These men and women all bravely volunteered to defend our country, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten." ️ Khork had previously deployed to Saudi Arabia, Guantanamo Bay, and Poland. The Florida resident had aspired to serve from a young age and joined the ROTC program at his university. ️ Amor, from Minnesota, had previously deployed to Kuwait and Iraq. Her husband, Joey Amor, said, "She was almost home. You don't go to Kuwait thinking something's going to happen, and for her to be one of the first – it hurts." ️ Tietjens, a Nebraska resident, had been deployed to Kuwait twice before. He was described as "a deeply committed husband and father." ️ Coady, from Iowa, had enlisted in the Army Reserve just three years ago. He served as an information technologies specialist and had "an incredibly bright future ahead of him." ️ US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a briefing on Monday that a "powerful weapon" had struck a "fortified tactical operations center." ️ Three US military officials with direct knowledge of Iran's attack told CBS, the BBC's US partner, that the service members had been working in a makeshift office space, questioning whether the building was adequately fortified, noting a trailer was used with concrete barriers. ️ The US has a long-standing defense relationship with Kuwait, with over 13,000 US soldiers stationed in the Gulf nation. ️ Iran has responded to attacks against it by launching missiles at Gulf countries allied with the US. Strikes have also been seen in Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar. ️ Separately, in Kuwait, the US confirmed that three fighter jets were downed on Monday after what was described as a "friendly fire" incident. ️ Footage showed the jets spiraling to the ground. All pilots involved managed to eject and survived. ️ Iranian state media claimed, without providing evidence, that Iranian military forces had shot down the jets.
