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The Pentagon on Tuesday identified four of the six U.S. soldiers killed in a drone strike in Kuwait, marking the first American military casualties since President Donald Trump launched a war against Iran over the weekend.
The Defense Department said Army Reserve Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; and Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, were killed March 1 in a drone attack on a commercial port in Kuwait.
All four were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines.
The Pentagon did not release the names of the two other service members killed in the strike, saying the incident remains under investigation.
While the Defense Department statement did not explicitly name Iran, officials have described the strike as an Iranian drone attack carried out amid escalating hostilities between Washington and Tehran. The troops were supporting Operation Epic Fury, the administration’s name for the expanding military campaign.
First U.S. Casualties of the War
The attack represents the first confirmed U.S. fatalities since Trump authorized joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian military and security targets. The administration has said the operation aims to degrade Iran’s military capabilities and deter further aggression.
In recent days, Trump and senior Cabinet officials have offered differing accounts of how the conflict began. On Tuesday, Trump said he “forced Israel’s hand” to launch the joint strikes, contradicting remarks from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had described the United States as joining an Israeli-led operation.
Second Blow for Iowa Units
The deaths also mark the second time in recent months that Iowa-based service members have been killed in the Middle East.
In December, two Iowa National Guard soldiers — Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard of Marshalltown and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar of Des Moines — were killed in Syria in an attack attributed to ISIS.
Kuwait, a longtime U.S. ally, hosts American military personnel and logistical operations that support missions across the region.
The Pentagon said further details about the March 1 attack would be released as the investigation continues.
