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U.S. beefing up air defenses at base in Jordan where 3 soldiers were killed in drone attack
Washington — The U.S. is sending additional air defenses to the base in northeast Jordan where three American soldiers were killed in a drone attack on Sunday, according to a U.S. official.
The outpost that was hit had not been the target of previous attacks and thus its air defenses were not as strong as U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria that have been under constant threat of attack since October, the official said. The air defense system heading to the outpost is designed to intercept drones.
About 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel are stationed at the outpost, known as Tower 22, according to the Defense Department.
The Pentagon said Monday that the number of wounded had risen to more than 40 after a drone strike hit their sleeping quarters in the pre-dawn hours on Sunday.
“People were actually in their beds when the drone impacted,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters Monday.
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Singh said the attack was inconsistent with prior strikes because it hit living quarters and was early in the morning. The Defense Department is investigating how the drone evaded air defenses, she said.
“We are trying to figure out how a one-way attack drone was able to evade air defenses and was able to kill three of our service members and injure dozens more,” she said.
Tower 22 did not have the same air defenses as the special forces base located about 15 miles north in al-Tanf, Syria, which has been under frequent attack. The deadly attack on Tower 22 was the first time a drone had landed on the Jordanian side of the border.
Since Oct. 17, there have been at least 165 attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq, Syria and now Jordan by Iranian-backed groups.
Eleanor Watson contributed reporting.
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NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.