Dozens of Arizona National Guardsmen hurt in Jordan drone attack

PHOENIX - Arizona National Guardsmen were among the wounded in a deadly drone attack on an outpost in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border.

Three U.S. service members were killed in the attack on Jan. 28. It was the deadliest attack on U.S. service members since 2021.

The Arizona National Guard on Monday night released more information about the attack, saying, "The Arizona National Guard 1st Battalion, 158th Infantry Regiment, Bushmasters, were identified to be in the area during the January 28th unmanned aerial drone attack in northeast Jordan, near the Syria border."

No Arizona National Guard deaths have been reported. However, dozens of them were injured.

On Tuesday, Jan. 30, the Arizona National Guard detailed more on the injuries, saying, "Approximately 40 Arizona National Guard service members were identified as wounded in action. Wounds range from cuts and bruises to traumatic brain injuries but of those numbers, 34 returned to duty. Out of those ~40, there were 3 that were medically evacuated for further care to non-life threatening injuries. The remaining are undergoing continued observation to ensure they are recovering, so they may return to duty."

The service members who were injured will not be named, per Department of Defense policy.

"We are in contact with the Arizona Battalion Commander in the area of operations," Major General Kerry L. Muehlenbeck, Arizona National Guard Adjutant General said, "Our priority is to the soldiers and their families. What impacts them, impacts us all. We continue to gather information, please keep them in your prayers."

The Guardsmen were deployed to Jordan last September as part of Operation Spartan Shield. The troops were set to be deployed for about a year.

"I am heartbroken to hear reports of the Arizona National Guardsmen wounded in action during the attack in Jordan," Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs wrote in a post on X late Sunday night. "I’m actively monitoring the situation and my administration is in contact with AZ NG Adjutant General Muehlenbeck. We are ready to offer support for the Guardsmen and their families, and will be prepared to take action as the situation develops."

"To some degree, it may sound terrible to say this, but the pace of these attacks was so significant and so steady that it seemed almost inevitable that there would be some sort of tragedy like this happening," said Daniel Rothenberg, professor of practice at Arizona State's School of Politics and Global Studies.

With that rise, he says President Joe Biden sits in a precarious position.

"The question now is, how can the U.S. respond in a way that doesn’t produce excessive escalation of the conflict?" he said.

Rothenberg says we have approximately 2,500 U.S. personnel in Iraq, 3,000 in Jordan and 900 in Syria.

"It’s just useful for Americans to be cognizant of how many operations are going on in our name. How dangerous these often are and how serious the situation is in the Middle East beyond just what’s being picked up immediately in the headlines," he said.