️ The US military command has confirmed the identities of four of the six service members killed in the conflict with Iran. The soldiers died when an "unmanned aircraft system" evaded air defenses to strike a command center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, on Sunday. US Central Command initially reported three deaths, but officials confirmed on Monday that the toll had doubled after one person succumbed to injuries and two more bodies were found in the rubble.
️ Those killed were Captain Cody Khork, 35, Sergeant Noah Tietjens, 42, Sergeant Nicole Amor, 39, and Sergeant Declan Coady, 20, who was posthumously promoted from specialist. All four identified by the Pentagon were members of the US 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."
️ Personal details of the deceased service members reveal their lives and service backgrounds. Cody Khork, a Florida resident, had previously deployed to Saudi Arabia, Guantanamo Bay, and Poland; his family said he had wanted to serve since a young age and joined the ROTC program at his university. Nicole Amor of Minnesota had previously served in Kuwait and Iraq; her husband Joey Amor noted she was almost home and the tragedy was unexpected. Noah Tietjens of Nebraska had been deployed to Kuwait twice before and was described as a "deeply committed husband and father." Declan Coady of Iowa had enlisted in the Army Reserve just three years ago and served as an information technologies specialist.
️ 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 BBC's US partner CBS that the service members had been working in a makeshift office space and questioned whether the building had been adequately fortified, telling CBS News a trailer was being used as an office, shielded by 12ft (3.7m) steel-reinforced 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; Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar have all also seen strikes. Separately, in Kuwait, the US confirmed three fighter jets were downed on Monday after what it described as a "friendly fire" incident. Footage showed the jets spiraling to the ground; the pilots involved managed to eject and survived. Iranian state media claimed without providing evidence that the Iranian military had shot down the jets.
Source: www.bbc.com