The US Department of Defense announced Tuesday that Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, was killed two days ago during the controlled disposal of a suicide drone that had been downed at the Erbil Air Base in Iraq. The announcement adds specifics to the identification of Swinton, which The Zioneer reported earlier today.
The Pentagon on Tuesday evening released additional details on the death of Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, confirming he was killed two days ago, on Sunday, July 19, during a controlled explosion of a suicide drone that had been downed at the Erbil Air Base in Iraq. The announcement follows the official identification of Swinton by the US military, which The Zioneer reported earlier today at 17:03 Jerusalem.
The Zioneer had reported at 17:03 Jerusalem today that the US military identified Swinton as the soldier killed in the incident. The story first emerged on Sunday, July 19, at 22:14 Jerusalem, when US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that a US service member was killed in northern Iraq. Over the next hours, multiple outlets provided details: i24NEWS reported the death was from an Iranian drone explosion, the US Army confirmed it occurred during a controlled disposal, and the New York Times, citing a US official, said the soldier was struck by shrapnel and was not a bomb technician. The Pentagon officially named Swinton in announcements later that evening. The corroboration evolved from a single regional news channel to official US military statements.
This incident is part of a broader escalation of drone attacks on US forces. As The Zioneer reported, security analyst Chananel Aviv reported suicide drone strikes in Erbil in the early hours of Sunday, and N12 reported that three US soldiers were killed in the past 24 hours, including remains found in Jordan. The circumstances of the controlled explosion and the exact cause of the malfunction remain under investigation.
7 developments
- StrongUS Army confirms body of missing soldier found in Jordan, reports another soldier killed in Iraq
- StrongN12: Three US soldiers killed in past 24 hours; remains found at Jordan strike site, soldier killed in northern Iraq controlled blast
- DevelopingShiite sources report downing of US MQ-9 Reaper drone over Karbala, Iraq
- ConfirmedIDF soldier killed by Hezbollah IED in southern Lebanon, deputy division commander wounded
Source and signal
- Internal intake