‘US Doesn’t Want To Start War But Will Defend Itself’: White House On Drone Strike In Jordan

The White House declared on Monday that it does not wish to start another war or conflict but it will do whatever is necessary to defend itself in the area, one day after three US soldiers were killed in a drone attack in Jordan.

At a press conference, John Kirby, the National Security Council’s Coordinator for Strategic Communications in the White House, informed reporters that following the incident over thirty US soldiers were hospitalised out of which some  had critical injuries.

“These troops were conducting a vital mission in the region, aimed at helping US work with partners to counter ISIS. And even as the Defense Department gathers more information about the attack, that mission must and will continue,” he said.

“The counter-ISIS mission is separate and distinct ..indeed it has been longstanding and unrelated to our efforts to support Israel and to prevent a wider conflict in the region,” Kirby said.

“We do not seek another war. We do not seek to escalate. But we will absolutely do what is required to protect ourselves, to continue that mission, and to respond appropriately to these attacks,” he asserted.

President Joe Biden, he said, has met with his national security team twice and is weighing various options before him. “He’s weighing the options before him. As he said yesterday, we will respond. We’ll do that on our schedule, in our own time.  And we’ll do it in a manner of the President’s choosing as Commander-in-Chief,” Kirby said.

“We’ll also do it fully cognizant of the fact that these groups, backed by Tehran, have just taken the lives of American troops,” he added.

Following the attack on US personnel in Jordan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that his nation would reply at a separate press conference alongside Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg. Jordan, a country bordering Saudi Arabia, Syria, Israel, the Palestinian West Bank, and Iraq, has long served as a base for US soldiers.

“The President’s been crystal clear. We will respond decisively to any aggression. We will hold responsible the people who attacked our troops. We’ll do so at a time and a place of our choosing. At the same time, we remain focused on our core objectives in the region, both in terms of the conflict in Gaza and broader efforts to build truly durable peace and security,” Blinken said.

Expressing his sincere sympathies for the US soldiers lost and injured in the drone strike in Jordan, Stoltenberg stated that NATO believes Iran will persist in its efforts to destabilize the area.

“Iran also bears responsibility for backing terrorists who attack ships in the Red Sea. Tehran’s behaviour reminds us of what a world without rules looks like, unpredictable and dangerous, a world where our security becomes more expensive,” he said.

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