US Central Command on Sunday confirmed the death of a seventh US soldier in President Trump’s war with Iran, as Iranian missiles and drones have successfully struck US bases in the region.
CENTCOM said the soldier had died of wounds sustained by an earlier Iranian attack on US troops in Saudi Arabia. “Last night, a US service member passed away from injuries received during the Iranian regime’s initial attacks across the Middle East. The service member was seriously wounded at the scene of an attack on US troops in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on March 1,” the command said.
“This is the seventh service member killed in action during Operation Epic Fury. Major combat operations continue. The identity of the fallen warrior will be withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification,” CENTCOM added.
Later in the day, the command confirmed another American death during the war, a member of the US National Guard who it said died in a “health-related incident in Kuwait” during a “medical emergency” on March 6. “We refer you to the US National Guard Bureau for additional information,” CENTCOM said.
The six other soldiers who have been confirmed to have died were killed by an Iranian drone attack on a make-shift operations center at a port in Kuwait. According to media reports, the six US troops had not been given any warning that the drone was approaching.
President Trump and his top officials have been warning that more Americans are likely to be killed as the war drags on, as the Pentagon has acknowledged that its forces are having trouble intercepting Iran’s Shahed drones.
According to a tally from Al Jazeera, Iranian attacks have also killed at least 11 people in Israel, and several people have been killed in Gulf states that host US military bases. After nine days, US-Israeli strikes on Iran have killed more than 1,300 people, according to the Iranian government’s figures. A US-based rights group has said that it has confirmed the death of more than 1,200 Iranian civilians.
