30 January 2024

Statement on the loss of US service members

I was grieved to hear of the recent deaths of three US service personnel in an attack on a US base, Tower 22, located in north-eastern Jordan.

Reportedly, more than thirty-four servicemen were also injured in the drone strike.

According to the United States Government, the attack was carried out by Iran-backed militants. I echo the statement (quoted below) by Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Birmingham and Shadow Minister for Defence Andrew Hastie condemning the violence and acknowledging the sacrifice of our allies serving to protect the region.

***JOINT STATEMENT FROM SHADOW FOREIGN MINISTER SIMON BIRMINGHAM AND SHADOW DEFENCE MINISTER ANDREW HASTIE***

The Opposition stands with our American friends as they mourn the loss of three US service members killed by an unmanned aerial drone attack in northeast Jordan near the border with Syria.

Early reports confirm that the attack came from radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.

These forces continue to cause destabilisation and an escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

The Opposition condemns the senseless violence of these terrorist forces and acknowledges the sacrifice of our US allies serving in the region.

Ends.