- Iranian drone strike at Kuwait's Port of Shuaiba killed six US Army Reserve members
- US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the drone hit a "fortified" tactical operations centre
- Soldiers reported the facility was lightly protected and unprepared for defence
On March 1, an Iranian drone strike at the Port of Shuaiba, Kuwait, killed six US Army Reserve members and injured over 20 others. The incident marked the first US combat fatalities of the conflict.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had said that an Iranian "squirter" drone had bypassed the air defences and made its way through. He said that the tactical operations centre which the drone hit was "fortified".
However, in their first public remarks, soldiers from the army's 103rd Sustainment Command said that the attack was a direct hit on a lightly protected facility, contradicting Hegseth's comments.
Pete Hegseth's Statement "Falsehood"
"Painting a picture that 'one squeaked through' is a falsehood," an injured soldier told CBS News. "I want people to know the unit ... was unprepared to provide any defence for itself. It was not a fortified position."
One soldier said that the unit was moved closer to a known threat zone. The logistics unit of the army was moved to a base that was within range of Iranian drones and missiles.
When The Drone Hit The Facility
The troops had taken cover in the morning after missile alerts, but an all-clear signal was issued right before the strike. 30 minutes after the signal, Iran's drone struck the compound and caused widespread destruction.
"Everything shook," one soldier recalled. "It's something like what you see in the movies. Your ears are ringing... there's dust and smoke everywhere."
The aftermath, they said, included "head wounds, heavy bleeding... and shrapnel all over".
Even after the attack, the rescue efforts were weak. Injured troops administered first aid themselves and used civilian vehicles to transport the wounded to hospitals.
Assistant Defense Secretary Sean Parnell said in a post on X that, "every possible measure has been taken to safeguard our troops,"
An official told Reuters earlier, that it was unclear if there were air defences in place, but no alarm sounded as the drone approached.
