Pentagon identifies US service member killed in Iranian attack on Iraq base

The Pentagon on Tuesday identified the U.S. service member who was killed over the weekend in Iraq during a “controlled detonation” of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone.

Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, N.C., was killed during the detonation of the drone on Saturday at Erbil Air Base in Iraq — a primary hub for U.S. forces in Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdistan region. 

The Saturday incident, during which another service member was injured, is under investigation. 

Swinton was assigned to D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade in Fort Bragg, N.C., the Pentagon said. 

In recent days, two other U.S. service members were killed in Jordan following Iranian attacks on U.S. outposts there. The Pentagon identified the two as 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan, who was killed on Saturday, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, who was killed on Friday. 

The U.S. military has been pounding Iran, striking the country for the 10th consecutive day on Monday. U.S. forces targeted Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and air defense systems. 

Iran has retaliated against Gulf allies with missiles and drones, causing structural damage to U.S. bases in the region and killing U.S. personnel. 

The Pentagon confirmed Monday that nearly 100 U.S. service members have sustained injuries since July 7 and that 96 percent of them have returned to duty.

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