What is Tower 22, Site of The Attack That Killed Three US Troops in Jordan?

Three US troops were killed and over 30 wounded after a drone hit a military outpost in Jordan known as Tower 22.

President Joe Biden said that the United States “will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner (of) our choosing.”

Here is what is known about the little-known base:

Strategic location

The attack occurred at the logistics support base located at Tower 22 of the Jordanian Defense Network. It holds a strategically important location, in Jordan, at the most northeastern point where the country’s borders meet Syria and Iraq.

“There are approximately 350 US Army and Air Force personnel deployed to the base, conducting a number of key support functions, including support to the coalition for the lasting defeat of ISIS,” US Central Command said in a statement.

Tower 22 is near Al Tanf garrison, which is located across the border in Syria, and which houses a small number of US troops. Tanf had been key in the fight against Islamic State and has assumed a role as part of a US strategy to contain Iran’s military build-up in eastern Syria, according to Reuters.

The base is located close enough to US troops at Tanf that it could potentially help support them, while also potentially countering Iran-backed militants in the area and allowing troops to keep an eye on remnants of Islamic State in the region.

US military aide

US media reports say that Jordan’s army is one of the largest recipients of Washington’s foreign military financing. The kingdom has hundreds of US trainers and is one of the few regional allies that hold extensive exercises with US troops throughout the year.

Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, Washington has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to help Amman set up an elaborate surveillance system known as the Border Security Programme to stem infiltration by militants from Syria and Iraq.

What’s Unclear

It is unclear what type of weapons are kept at the base, air defenses used, and what exactly went wrong. But US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said “We will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests.”

(With agency inputs)