An Iranian drone struck a U.S. military operations hub inside a working civilian port in Kuwait on Sunday, killing six American soldiers in a facility that a family member described as a shipping container-style building with no defenses, according to the Associated Press.
The hub was located in Port Shuaiba, an industrial seaport south of Kuwait City, more than 10 miles from Camp Arifjan, the main U.S. Army installation in Kuwait, a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity and satellite imagery confirmed to the AP.
The location and apparent vulnerability of the targeted site are drawing scrutiny over U.S. force protection decisions as American and Israeli military operations against Iran continue and senior officials, including President Donald Trump, warn that more American casualties are likely.
The attack and victims
The six soldiers, part of a supply and logistics unit based in Iowa, were killed when the drone struck what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described Monday as a “tactical operations center.” Hegseth said the soldiers were killed “when a projectile made its way past air defenses,” without identifying the weapon type. The Pentagon confirmed Tuesday it was a drone strike at Port Shuaiba when it announced the names of four of the slain soldiers.
Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, was among those killed. Her husband, Joey Amor, told the AP that his wife had been moved off-base to the shipping container-style building approximately one week before the strike.
“They were dispersing because they were in fear that the base they were on was going to get attacked, and they felt it was safer in smaller groups in separated places,” Joey Amor said.
Location and surroundings
A satellite image taken the day after the attack and reviewed by the AP showed the main building in the complex destroyed, with a trail of black smoke rising from it. A U.S. official confirmed to the AP that the image depicted the location of Sunday’s strike.
The hub was roughly one mile from piers where merchant ships offload cargo containers. Oil storage tanks, refineries, and a power plant surrounded the site. Camp Arifjan, the main Army base, was more than 10 miles to the south.
Pentagon response
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said on social media after news reports about the site emerged that the “secure facility was fortified with 6-foot walls” and that the military has “the most extensive Air Defense umbrella in the world over the Middle East right now and control of the skies is increasing with every wave of airpower.”
Parnell’s office did not respond to AP questions about what role the walls would have played in defending against a drone attack or what air defenses were present near the port command center at the time of the strike.
Capt. Tim Hawkins, spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said “it would be inappropriate to comment given the incident is under investigation.”
Broader conflict
Iran launched retaliatory strikes against several countries in the region, including Kuwait, following an attack by the U.S. and Israel on Iran, the AP reported. Trump and senior defense officials said further American casualties are expected as operations continue.