The US has confirmed the death of a third serviceman following Iran’s attack on a base in Jordan
The US Armed Forces have confirmed that the third service member believed to have been killed during the attack on a US base in Jordan last Friday is Sergeant Yangel S. Rampersed, aged 28, from New York, the AP reports.
This brings the total number of American service personnel killed since the start of the war to 18.
Earlier, the Pentagon had released the names of two other soldiers killed in the attack in Jordan. According to US Central Command, the servicemen were killed by Iranian ballistic missiles and drones whilst carrying out a US mission against the Islamic State group.
Following the attack, US Central Command reported two fatalities and one serviceman missing. The following day, the military stated that they had recovered unidentified remains, and that the identification process was ongoing.
The Pentagon has now confirmed that the missing serviceman, who is presumed dead, is Angel S. Ramperced. Her official status has been designated as ‘Duty Status – Whereabouts Unknown’, with the note that she is ‘presumed killed in action’.
Rampersed was serving with the 10th Army Air and Missile Defence Command, based in Ansbach, Germany, alongside Isabel Gonzalez.
The US Army has also released the name of a serviceman who was killed in Iraq during a controlled demolition of an Iranian drone. He was Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton, aged 30, from North Carolina, who had served for almost ten years.
According to the Department of Defence, Swinton has been posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Combat Action Ribbon, and has been promoted to the rank of staff sergeant. The Army has stated that it is investigating the circumstances of his death at the airbase in Erbil.
According to the soldier’s mother, he is survived by a six-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter. His wife, Mia Gonzalez Swinton, said on Facebook that she had learnt of his death on Sunday. His mother, Christel Swinton Andujar, said he was devoted to his family and that his legacy would live on through the people he had influenced.
Michael Emmanuel Swinton joined the army in 2017 and served with the 55th Air Defence Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defence Artillery Brigade, stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
The commander of the Army Air and Missile Defence Command, Brigadier General John L. Douber, stated that the sergeant was an experienced non-commissioned officer who conscientiously carried out his duties and looked after his comrades.
The report notes that hostilities between the US and Iran are now in their tenth day. Both sides continue to launch strikes, with Iran attacking US allies in the region, whilst US troops remain deployed in the Middle East.
According to the Iranian authorities, in the last three weeks alone, at least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 injured as a result of US strikes.
It is also noted that both sides have carried out strikes on civilian infrastructure, with seafarers, foreign workers and other civilians in the Gulf states, Israel and Lebanon falling victim to the conflict.
The US State Department has issued a new warning to American citizens, stating that Iran and groups affiliated with it may carry out attacks on US interests abroad or on targets associated with the US and its citizens.
US President Donald Trump has stated that war is necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. At the same time, as noted in the article, he is facing political pressure to end the war and avoid a protracted conflict in the Middle East. The escalation has also contributed to rising oil prices in recent weeks.
