White House Names Group Responsible for Killing US Troops in Jordan, Vows to Act

National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington on Jan. 29, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The Biden administration on Jan. 31 formally identified the group responsible for a drone attack on a U.S. military outpost in Jordan that left three U.S. Army Reservists dead.

An umbrella group uniting several terror organizations resourced and conducted the attack, according to White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.

“We believe that the attack in Jordan was planned, resourced, and facilitated by an umbrella group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which contains multiple groups, including Kata’ib Hezbollah,” Mr. Kirby told reporters.

“We will do what we need to do to make sure that those responsible are held properly accountable.”

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq isn’t a single group but a network of ideologically aligned Islamic terror groups that broadly support Iran and its interests.

Mr. Kirby reaffirmed that the United States wouldn’t pursue a war with Iran over the attack and the hundreds of others that have targeted U.S. troops in the Middle East in recent months, which the administration claims have been backed by Iran.

“We don’t seek a war with Iran,” Mr. Kirby said. “We’re not looking for a broader conflict. We’re not looking for a war with Iran.”

White House Planning Retaliation

President Joe Biden has come under increasing fire from hawkish elements in Congress to retaliate against Iran for the Jan. 28 attack that killed three Army Reservists and injured 40 others.

Some Republican leaders have called for direct strikes against Iran, a possibility that the White House appears to have ruled out.

President Biden said earlier in the week that he had decided what action to take in response to the attack. However, his administration has thus far remained silent on what that retaliation would be.

Mr. Kirby suggested on Jan. 31 that the retaliation wouldn’t be limited to one set of strikes but could include both military strikes and economic actions over time.

“We’ll respond on our own time, on our own schedule,” he said.

“The first thing you see won’t be the last thing. ... We’ll respond in an appropriate way.”

To that end, Mr. Kirby said, the United States plans to act unilaterally and won’t rely on its allies and partners to assist it in retaliation.

Regarding criticism of the president’s slow-going response, he said there were many moving parts to the administration’s planning and that the president would also adapt to changing situations on the ground in the Middle East.

“It’s an iterative process,” Mr. Kirby said.

“This will be a response over time. You should expect that the president will continue to weigh options ahead of him. ... as things go forward.”

U.S. troops have come under attack more than 160 times in Iraq, Syria, and the Red Sea since October 2023, when the nation pledged its support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Mr. Kirby acknowledged, however, that the response to the attack in Jordan would be different because U.S. soldiers were killed.

“The president believes that it is important to respond in an appropriate way now that three American soldiers have been killed,” Mr. Kirby said.

“We’re going to respond to the killing of our three soldiers.”