A day after three US troops were killed in a drone strike in Jordan, the White House on Monday said it does not want to seek another war or escalate the tension, but would absolutely do what is required to protect itself in the region.
John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, told reporters at a news conference here that the attack also sent more than 30 US soldiers to hospital, some with serious 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.
At a separate press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said his country would respond to the attack on its soldiers in Jordan. US troops long have used Jordan, a kingdom bordering Iraq, Israel, the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, Saudi Arabia and Syria, as a basing point.
"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.
Offering his deepest condolences for the US troops killed and wounded in the drone attack in Jordan, Stoltenberg said NATO sees Iran continue to destabilize the region.
"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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