The U.S. Military released the identities of the three soldiers who were murdered by an Iranian-backed terrorist attack in the Middle East over the weekend as well as details about how the attack unfolded.
“Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Ga.; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Ga.; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Ga., died Jan. 28, 2024, in Jordan, when a one-way unmanned aerial system (OWUAS) impacted their container housing units,” the Department of Defense said in a statement.
The names and photos of the soldiers KIA in Jordan have been released. Their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten. Never forget.
Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46 | Carrollton, GA
Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24 | Waycross, GA
Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23 |… pic.twitter.com/KvdBxNyQOI
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) January 29, 2024
“Rivers, Sanders and Moffett were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore, Ga.,” the statement added.
More than 30 soldiers were injured in the attack, U.S. officials said on Sunday, adding that they were positive that the attack was “carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.”
U.S. officials said that the suicide drone evaded detection by U.S. forces because it closely trailed a U.S. drone that was returning to the base at the same time, Politico reported.
Retired Gen. Joseph Votel, who served as head of U.S. Central Command from 2016 to 2019, said that a U.S. strike on Iranian soil “shouldn’t be off the table.”
“Iran, I think, is responsible for this,” Votel said. “Iran is always trying to push the limits as far as they can go.”
This report has been updated to include additional information.