Commander rejected plans to rebase before deadly drone strike, sources say
Sources tell CBS News that despite warnings about the vulnerability of the outpost in Kuwait, commanders opted not to rebase farther from Iran.
U.S. troops stationed in Kuwait during the early days of the Iran war were offered three relocation options, but the command's general rejected all of them despite intelligence warnings of an impending attack. The three options were to move to LSA Jenkins in Yanbu, Prince Sultan Air Force Base near Riyadh, or to use the playbook from a previous unit's deployment to Kuwait.
The general chose Port of Shuaiba as the relocation site, despite reports that it was a potential target. Six U.S. troops were killed and over 20 wounded in the resulting strike on March 1, 2025. The parents of a fallen soldier, Maj. Cody Khork, expressed their belief that their son's death was unnecessary due to the unit's lack of defense. The Pentagon has ordered an investigation into the incident, but has not yet released the findings.
Written by urgent.news from CBS News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
