Collins, Golden, Pingree Respond to the Killing of 3 American Soldiers by Iranian-Backed Militants

Three U.S. Army soldiers were killed and more than thirty service members were injured in a drone attack on a U.S. base in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border Sunday night.

In a statement issued Sunday, President Joe Biden said the attack was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.

[RELATED: Whoops: Biden Admin Flip Flops on Whether Iran-backed Houthi Terrorists Are Terrorists…]

“We will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing,” President Biden stated Sunday.

Iran has denied any involvement in the attack on the U.S. military outpost.

“The representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the United Nations on Sunday night told IRNA that Iran had no connection and had nothing to do with the attack on the US base,” Iran’s state-run media outlet reported Sunday.

According to U.S. Central Command, the drone attack occurred at Tower 22 of the Jordanian Defense Network, a base where approximately 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel are deployed for “a number of key support functions, including support to the coalition for the lasting defeat of ISIS.”

“Today we mourn the loss of three brave service members and dozens more who were wounded in Jordan following an attack carried out by Iranian-backed militants,” Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins from Maine stated Sunday. “My heart goes out to these service members’ families during this difficult time.”

“Iran and its proxies must understand that attacks on U.S. troops will not be tolerated,” Sen. Collins said.

Collins, who is Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on Defense, criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the conflict in the Middle East.

“Regrettably, the Administration’s current approach is clearly not working given the more than 160 attacks to date on U.S. service members in the region since October,” Collins said.

Collins previously voiced her support for the Biden administration’s strikes on the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, saying that the move was an “overdue response” to the terrorist groups’ attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

[RELATED: Biden Hit With Bipartisan Criticism From Congress Over Bombing of Houthi Targets in Yemen…]

Democratic Congressman Jared Golden (ME-01), who is a U.S. Marine Corp veteran, responded to the attack in a post to X Sunday.

“The grief and loss felt by the families and friends of the service members killed in last night’s attack in Jordan are not and will not be theirs to bear alone,” Rep. Golden wrote. “They are shared by military families, communities, and our whole nation, including my own family & the people of Maine.”

Golden also indicated his support for retaliation by the Biden administration in response to the attack.

“This attack cannot go unanswered — not only to avenge those killed, but to ensure those who would attack Americans, whether acting alone or with the support of our enemies, know their actions will have consequences, including the wrath of of the most lethal military ever known,” Golden wrote.

This attack cannot go unanswered — not only to avenge those killed, but to ensure those who would attack Americans, whether acting alone or with the support of our enemies, know their actions will have consequences, including the wrath of of the most lethal military ever known.

— Congressman Jared Golden (@RepGolden) January 28, 2024

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree released a statement Monday afternoon saying her “thoughts are with the families and friends who are mourning their fallen loved ones – Americans everywhere share their grief.”

“The radical Iran-backed militant groups behind this clear assault on the United States must be held accountable,” Pingree stated.

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) as not yet released a public statement on the attack, and did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Maine Wire Monday morning.

UPDATE: This story was updated to include a statement from Congresswoman Chellie Pingree.