WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – President Joe Biden will honor the three American soldiers killed in a drone attack in the Middle East.
He and the first lady will meet with their grieving families for a ‘dignified transfer’ of their remains.
This comes as the Biden administration makes plans to retaliate for the strike.
The dignified transfer will happen at Dover Air Force base in Delaware and is meant to both mourn and pay recognition to the three servicemembers killed while defending our country.
“They risked it all, and we’ll never forget the sacrifice and service to our country,” said Biden.
In a solemn military tradition, the remains of three American soldiers will be returned home and President Biden and top military leaders will be there to pay respects to the families of Sergeant Kennedy Sanders, Sergeant William Rivers, and Sergeant Breonna Moffett.
“We know this grief will never leave them, and we hope that they know that the Department’s love and support will never leave them either,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The soldiers were killed in a drone attack at a U.S. military base in Jordan which U.S. officials say they have linked back to the Islamic resistance in Iraq, a group made up of multiple Iran backed militias.
Austin says the U.S. will have a forceful multi-tiered response to the deadly attack but also stressed that leaders are mindful of the stakes.
“This is a dangerous moment in the Middle East. We will continue to work to avoid a wider conflict than a region.,” said Austin.
That caution is drawing sharp criticism from republicans urging the Biden administration to hit back now.
“The administration’s public obsession with avoiding escalation at all costs only signals to our adversaries that indeed authoritarians can take what they want,” Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
President Biden says he has decided how to respond but hasn’t given any other details about that plan.