The US Department of Defense on Tuesday identified four of the six American soldiers who were killed Sunday during a drone strike on a US base in Kuwait. Donald Trump said “there will likely be more” service members killed “before it ends”.
The soldiers were identified as Captain Cody Khork, 35; Sergeant Nicole Amor, 39; Sergeant Declan Coady, 20; and Sergeant Noah Tietjens, 42.
The US Army Reserve said it would investigate the incident.
In a video statement on Sunday, Trump called the service members killed “true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives”.
“We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen,” he said. “And sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That’s the way it is, likely be more, but we’ll do everything possible where that won’t be the case.”
Since Saturday, US and Israeli forces have carried out large-scale strikes across Iran, including striking the compound of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Saturday. Iran has responded with retaliatory strikes, launching missiles aimed at Israel and US military facilities in the region, including in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
According to the Iranian Red Crescent emergency service, at least 787 people have been killed in Iran since Saturday. In Israel, authorities said that at least 10 people had been killed.
On Tuesday, the US state department announced a series of charter flights for Americans looking to get out of countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
In a statement, a department spokesperson said the government has helped more than 9,000 Americans leave the Middle East and has received requests for assistance from another 3,000 citizens seeking to return to the US.
Commercial aviation options remain available in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Egypt, and the department is actively helping American citizens book those tickets.
“For those in countries lacking commercial aviation availability, the department is facilitating travel to third countries as conditions allow. That includes increasing ground transportation options for American citizens wishing to leave Israel,” the statement said.
Understanding what is happening in the Middle East is more important than ever
It’s the Guardian’s job to keep a close focus on events in the region for our global audience.
With reporters sharing live updates around the clock, we’re well-placed to provide comprehensive, fact-checked reporting and to help our audience understand every major development. But we can’t do it without your support.
We rely on the generosity of our readers, whose backing helps to keep our correspondents on the ground and our reporting free from commercial or political influence.
We appreciate that not everyone can afford to pay for news, but if you can, can we count on your support? Here are three good reasons to make the choice to fund us today:
1. Our quality, investigative journalism is a scrutinising force.
2. We are independent and have no billionaire owner dictating what we do – your money directly powers our reporting.
3. It doesn’t cost much, and takes less time than it took to read this message.
