The Arizona National Guard said most of its members impacted by the deadly Jan. 28 drone attack on armed forces in the Middle East were back on duty.
“We’re fortunate that we have the bulk that have returned to service. We’re taking care of those that were injured,” said Maj. Gen. Kerry Muehlenbeck, Arizona National Guard adjutant general, during a Saturday morning news conference at the Papago Park Military Reservation in east Phoenix.
Standing in front of a medevac Black Hawk helicopter inside a hangar, Muehlenbeck said the impacted Arizona National Guard members had “positive prognoses” and that a “sound recovery” was expected.
Muehlenbeck’s comments come as the U.S. military on Friday and Saturday launched retaliatory attacks in response to the killing of three National Guard soldiers in the drone strike that also wounded 40 members and was carried out near the Syria border in Jordan. The culprits have been identified as Iran-backed militias.
Though most of the injured were from Arizona , those who died were from Georgia. The incident was the first in the region to cost the lives of American troops since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and its ensuing conflict.