US will respond to Iranian-backed militias 'at time and place of our choosing': Defense Secretary Austin

Speaking about a day after three US soldiers in Syria were killed by a drone attack, the US defense secretary said Sunday said that Iranian-backed militias are responsible for continued attacks on US forces and that "we will respond at a time and place of our choosing."

"I am outraged and deeply saddened by the deaths of three of our US service members and the wounding of other American troops in an attack last night against US and Coalition forces, who were deployed to a site in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border to work for the lasting defeat of ISIS," Lloyd Austin said in a statement to the press, using an alternate acronym for the Daesh terrorist group.

"These brave Americans and their families are in my prayers, and the entire Department of Defense mourns their loss," he added.

"The President and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces, and we will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests."

Three US service members were killed and 28 injured this weekend in a drone attack on the Al-Tanf US military base near the Jordanian-Syrian border, American and Jordanian officials said.

Jordanian officials said the attack was not on their soil, but in a border area in Syria, one outside control of the Assad regime.

In a statement, US President Joe Biden said: "Today, America's heart is heavy. Last night, three U.S. service members were killed-and many wounded-during an unmanned aerial drone attack on our forces stationed in northeast Jordan near the Syria border."

An Iraqi group calling itself Islamic Resistance later said it was responsible for the attack.