BREAKING NEWS

The U.S. Department of Defense has identified the American soldier who went missing following last week’s attack on a military base in Jordan. The soldier is now officially classified as “believed to be deceased,” bringing the total U.S. military death toll in the ongoing conflict with Iran to 18.

Casualty Identified: Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad

Name: Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28
Hometown: Ozone Park, New York
Unit: 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command (based in Ansbach, Germany)

Sgt. Rampersad’s official status has been updated by the Pentagon from “missing” to “Duty Status–Whereabouts Unknown, believed deceased”. U.S. Central Command confirmed that unidentified remains were recovered at the attack site over the weekend and are currently undergoing a verification process.

The Attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base

The casualties stem from a July 17 Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. The strike resulted in the first U.S. troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war.

Sgt. Rampersad is the third soldier confirmed dead from this specific attack. The Pentagon previously identified the two other fallen service members:

1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas (who served in the same unit as Rampersad)

Rising Toll as Strikes Continue

The conflict between the U.S. and Iran is now in its 10th day, characterized by continuous barrages of strikes across the Middle East. Sgt. Rampersad’s death raises the total number of U.S. service members killed in the war to 18.

Over the weekend, the Defense Department also announced the death of Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of North Carolina, who was killed at an air base in Irbil, Iraq, during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone.