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Washington — New videos obtained exclusively by CBS News amusement Iranian attacks connected a large U.S. subject basal successful Kuwait arsenic the war with Iran kicked disconnected 7 months ago. American forces faced ballistic missiles, drones and what witnesses described arsenic Iranian F-5 combatant jets.
The footage obtained by CBS News was recorded by a idiosyncratic stationed connected the crushed astatine Camp Buehring, and captures the moments of interaction and their explosive aftermath. Damage to buildings and subject instrumentality tin besides beryllium seen successful the videos.
The attacks connected Camp Buehring connection a model into the strain Iranian attacks placed connected American forces during the opening days of the war. CBS News has learned that soldiers defending the basal ran critically debased connected .50-caliber ammunition arsenic immoderate soldiers were repositioned into the Udari Desert successful Kuwait. Two soldiers were injured by lightning determination successful precocious April, according to U.S. officials with cognition of the matter.
Contacted by CBS News, U.S. Central Command, the superior portion which oversees American subject operations crossed the Middle East, declined to comment.
The Pentagon did not comment, but pointed backmost to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's comments connected March 4 regarding the removal of U.S. troops from bases and the employment of antiaircraft measures.
"As we built up violative combat power, we moved the immense bulk of American troops — implicit 90% of Americans that were connected our bases — what we accidental disconnected the X, retired of the scope of Iranian fire," Hegseth told reporters successful March.
Camp Buehring, oregon CBKU, sits astir 25 miles from the Iraqi borderline and has for much than 2 decades served arsenic a large staging crushed for American forces deploying crossed the Middle East.
CBS News authenticated the videos utilizing metadata embedded successful the files and compared the footage to different photographs showing harm to the base.
Ahead of the war, sources said astir of the astir 7,000 troops determination were moved elsewhere — arsenic were the bulk of U.S. forces successful Kuwait — arsenic a portion of the Pentagon's "get disconnected the X" plan, subject shorthand for moving distant from a presumption susceptible to attack.
Once the warfare started, Iranian attacks, immoderate originating from Iraq, repeatedly threatened the installation. Missiles and drones forced soldiers into bunkers. Three U.S. work members told CBS News that Iranian F-5 combatant jets were besides utilized during the attacks, a item first reported successful April by NBC News.
"They ran truthful adjacent to america I could spot their helmets," the eyewitness described. "They came in, they deed us, and past took off."
While astir of the U.S. work members were moved disconnected of Camp Buehring, a tranche of much than 100 soldiers stayed behind. The work members feared the isolated basal was ill-equipped to grip a mass-casualty lawsuit if the attacks continued.
"They deed america bad," the root told CBS News connected information of anonymity due to the fact that of the military's strict media restrictions. "It was horrible. There were a batch of brave guys who stayed to combat determination — and radical astatine location don't cognize what happened. We had to wantonness the base."
A elder Army authoritative moving successful logistics, managing operations from different station successful Kuwait, confirmed to CBS News determination were concerns astir the availability of .50 caliber ammunition and different "exquisite" munitions similar Patriot rocket batteries.
The determination yet was to leave. Servicemembers packed up, loading their vehicles with immoderate instrumentality they could and drove astatine nighttime heavy into the Kuwaiti desert. Their distant locations would look arsenic guardant operating bases, oregon "FOBs," wherever the soldiers would stay indefinitely.
No 1 was killed by force occurrence astatine Camp Buehring oregon astatine the FOBs, but respective were injured, including 2 soldiers who were struck by lightning successful godforsaken sandstorms. One worker suffered burns aft the nonstop onslaught portion the different suffered a ruptured eardrum, according to U.S. officials with cognition of the matter.
Before the lightning strike, Army leaders had been trying to determination the troops retired of the area, but were not capable to bash truthful rapidly enough. In May, the soldiers near the FOBs for Camp Arifjan, and past relocated to different positions some successful and retired of the Middle East.
"CBKU got demolished," the root added. "They request to bash an investigation. How travel nary 1 came to reenforce us?"
The Defense Department's inspector wide last period released a study connected the warfare successful with Iran that revealed "equipment losses" worthy up to $3.7 cardinal — including astir 60 aircraft. On Monday, the Congressional Research Service which provides nonpartisan investigation to members of Congress, reported that 81 fixed oregon rotary-wing craft including drone assets had been mislaid oregon damaged by Iran since February, according to quality reports and statements from the Defense Department.
In a first-of-its-kind mandatory study to Congress, the inspector wide added that U.S. Central Command had reported Iranian strikes astatine U.S. bases successful Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan.
Although strikes were mentioned successful the report, pictures and videos of immoderate interaction zones person been highly limited. Beyond Camp Buehring, CBS News earlier obtained exclusive photos of damage astatine Prince Sultan Air Base successful Saudi Arabia and Camp Arifjan successful Kuwait.
CBS News has besides reported extensively connected the deadliest onslaught of the warfare against U.S. troops astatine the Port of Shuaiba, which killed six American work members.
In:
New videos seizure Iranian strikes connected U.S. basal successful Kuwait
(04:23)
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