
US and coalition personnel sustained minor injuries in Friday drone attack in Syria, official says
CNN
Several United States and coalition personnel were treated for minor injuries after a drone attack in Syria on Friday, a US defense official said, amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.
Several United States and coalition personnel were treated for minor injuries after a drone attack in Syria on Friday, a US defense official said, amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. Personnel were treated for minor injuries, including smoke inhalation, but none were “seriously hurt,” the official said Saturday. “Others are being examined for traumatic brain injuries.” Several service members were taken from Rumalyn Landing Zone to a separate location for further assessment, according to the official. The attack caused damage to at least one set of facilities, the official added. “No group has claimed responsibility for the attack,” the official said. The strike comes after seven US personnel were injured when two rockets hit Al Asad Airbase in Iraq on Monday. The US Defense Department blamed Iran-aligned militia groups for the attack, calling it a “dangerous escalation.” Those injured in the Monday attack included five US service members and two US contractors. All were stable as of Tuesday, a defense official said.

More than two decades ago, on January 24, 2004, I landed in Baghdad as a legal adviser, assigned an office in what was then known as the Green Zone. It was raining and cold, and my duffle bag was thrown into a puddle off the C-130 aircraft that had just done a corkscrew dive to reach the runway without risk of ground fire. Young American soldiers greeted me as we piled into a vehicle, sped out of the airport complex and then along a road called the “Highway of Death” due to car bombs and snipers.












