U.S. military reports 17th service member killed in conflict with Iran
The United States says a 17th American service member has died in the ongoing hostilities with Iran, bringing total U.S. fatalities to 17.
The U.S. Central Command announced Sunday that a service member was killed in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone, raising the American death toll in the conflict with Iran to 17. The incident follows a series of fatalities that have occurred since the war began on Feb. 28, including drone strikes, aircraft crashes and missile attacks across the region.
The latest death comes after two service members were killed in Jordan defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks, and a third member remains missing. Earlier, a Navy pilot died in a helicopter crash in the Arabian Sea, and a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq, killing six personnel.
"The war is necessary to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons," President Donald Trump said.
Iranian authorities have reported at least 50 civilian deaths and more than 500 injuries from U.S. strikes in the past three weeks, including eight killed in a recent bridge strike. The conflict has also affected foreign workers and civilians in Gulf nations, Israel and Lebanon. The U.S. military said it will release the names of the deceased after a 24-hour notification period for families.