Democratic senators launch investigation into Kuwait strike that killed US troops

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Four Democratic senators accidental they are investigating whether the Pentagon near U.S. troops astatine a bid station successful Kuwait without capable extortion up of an Iranian drone onslaught that killed six American servicemembers and near much than 20 wounded.

The probe comes aft soldiers stationed astatine the basal told CBS News they were near dangerously exposed astatine a determination that was a known people for Iranian drones. Speaking publically for the archetypal clip earlier this month, members of the targeted portion offered CBS News a elaborate relationship of the attack, which occurred connected the archetypal time of what has extended into a monthslong struggle betwixt the U.S. and Iran.

In a missive to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, 4 Democrats connected the Senate Armed Services Committee questioned the Pentagon's preparations and whether the medication "failed to support Americans successful the portion from Iranian retaliation".

At a property league the time aft the attack, Hegseth described the Iranian drone arsenic a "squirter" that "happened to deed a tactical operations halfway that was fortified, but these were almighty weapons."

Some of the survivors, members of the Army's 103rd Sustainment Command, disputed Hegseth's account.

"Painting a representation that 'one squeaked through' is simply a falsehood," 1 of the injured soldiers told CBS News. "I privation radical to cognize the portion … was unprepared to supply immoderate defence for itself. It was not a fortified position."

Aftermath of the Iranian drone onslaught successful Kuwait

The tactical cognition center was akin to structures commonplace during the wars successful Iraq and Afghanistan — earlier the emergence of drone warfare. Steel-reinforced factual barriers known arsenic T-walls surrounded the building. These types of barriers are designed to shield work members from the blast of a mortar oregon rocket but connection nary extortion from aerial attacks.

"It's conscionable benignant of a classic, older subject base," 1 worker recalled. "Some tiny barriers. There's a clump of small tin buildings wherever we tin acceptable up makeshift offices."

Video of the aftermath of the drone onslaught shows fume billowing from the building, fires smoldering. Surviving work members described a grisly scene, with their chap soldiers bleeding heavy from shrapnel wounds and dealing with terrible caput injuries.

The senators — New York's Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, and Arizona's Mark Kelly — are seeking accusation astir hazard assessments related to the Kuwaiti station up of the commencement of the war. One of the soldiers told CBS News they saw quality showing the station was connected a database of potential Iranian targets.

"Secretary Hegseth sent our troops to combat successful Iran, refused to instrumentality basal steps to support them, and past tried to screen up his failures erstwhile work members died," Warren said successful a statement. "Hegseth's enactment has been 1 betrayal aft different — helium indispensable beryllium held accountable."

The Defense Department declined to comment, citing an progressive probe into the incident. In a station connected X addressing prior CBS News reporting connected the attack, Assistant Secretary of Defense Sean Parnell said "every imaginable measurement has been taken to safeguard our troops — astatine each level."

Hegseth is acceptable to attest earlier the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday, pursuing grounds earlier a House sheet connected Wednesday.

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