Pentagon identifies US service member killed in Iran drone ordnance blast in Iraq

WASHINGTON, DC: As the Iranian attack toll on US service members continues to surge, the Pentagon on Tuesday, July 21, identified the US service member who was killed in a "controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone” at a US base in Iraq.

The Pentagon on Monday, July 20, confirmed that around 100 US service members were injured in incidents and attacks originating from Iran since July 7. The department also informed that around 97 per cent of injured troops have returned to the battlefield.

Pentagon reveals 31-year-old serviceman killed in Iraq

The Pentagon revealed the identity of a US service member killed while the detonation of unexploded ordnance, launched by Iran, was being carried out at the Iraqi base.

Sgt Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, NC, was killed on Saturday, July 18, at Erbil Air Base, Iraq, a primary hub for US forces in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

Swinton was assigned to D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade in Fort Bragg, NC, the Pentagon said.

CENTCOM had disclosed the killing of a serviceman at an Iraqi base while confirming that the remains of two other service members were found who were killed in an Iranian attack in Jordan.

However, CENTCOM had not disclosed Swinton’s identity earlier.

The killings and large-scale injuries come as the fragile months-long ceasefire between the US and Iran has collapsed, triggering a renewed surge in hostilities between the two countries.

Two US service members killed in Jordan

The Pentagon has identified two US Army soldiers killed while defending against an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack in Jordan on Friday, July 17, marking the first American troop deaths caused by direct Iranian fire since the early days of the conflict.

The Defense Department named the fallen service members as Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, and 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii. Gonzales died on Friday, while Feehan succumbed to his injuries the following day.

The remains of the two fallen service members were discovered after military teams continued searching the area where two American service members went missing following the July 17 Iranian attack in Jordan.

The US military has been pounding Iran, striking the country for the 10th consecutive day on Monday. US forces targeted Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defense systems.