The U.S. military on Tuesday identified the soldier who died in Iraq during a "controlled detonation" of an Iranian drone.
Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed on July 19 while serving at Erbil Air Base. Swinton is one of at least three U.S. soldiers killed in the last week.
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President Donald Trump issued an ominous warning to Iran in response to the U.S. casualties.
"Every time Iran kills an American Soldier, they will pay for that killing many times over!" Trump said. "This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine, and every Leader in the Military."
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Trump had been expected to attend a dignified transfer service Tuesday night at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. The White House has since announced that the event will be moved to another date, likely later this week.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon is facing mounting questions over its transparency about the number of troops injured in the conflict. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Monday that nearly 100 U.S. service members have been injured since July 7. He said 96% have returned to duty, with the vast majority sustaining minor concussions.
