While the Pentagon had acknowledged the attacks, this is the first disclosure of US casualties.
Last week, 20 American citizens suffered minor injuries from drone strikes on the al-Tanf military base in southern Syria. The same day, two separate drone attacks on the al-Asad base in western Iraq resulted in minor injuries for four other US personnel.
Though the US Army intercepted the drones, debris from one destroyed a hangar housing small aircraft. All injured personnel have since returned to duty.
NBC quoted Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder as saying that US and coalition forces faced 10 attacks in Iraq and three in Syria over the past week, primarily from drones and rockets. Ryder indicated that groups backed by Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are behind these attacks.
Ryder warned of a potential escalation from Iranian proxies and stressed, "We will never hesitate to take action to protect our forces and our interests overseas."
(jh)
Source: PAP, NBC
