National Defense

‘How Come No One Came In To Reinforce Us?’ US Troops Describe Iranian Assault On Kuwait Base

Flickr/szczepan.lemanczyk

Recently acquired footage from the onset of the Iran war depicts a U.S. military strained by Iranian attacks.

The footage, posted by CBS News on Wednesday, was recorded by an American service member who was stationed on the ground at Camp Buehrig, Kuwait, the outlet reported. The video depicted damage to buildings and equipment at the military base.

When contacted for comment, the Pentagon referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to the United States Central Command (CENTCOM). CENTCOM did not respond to the DCNF.

At the base, Americans were attacked with missiles and drones. Three service members asserted that Iranian F-5 fighter jets were used in the assault, CBS News reported in a story accompanying the clip. This attack prompted the military to leave the base.

“They hit us bad,” one service member told the outlet. “It was horrible. There were a lot of brave guys who stayed to fight there — and people at home don’t know what happened. We had to abandon the base.”

Over 7,000 troops in Camp Buehrig were moved elsewhere before the war began, leaving just over 100 at the base.  Those troops became the target of Iranian attacks, with some originating in Iraq. Barrages of missiles and drones forced servicemembers into bunkers.  After continual attacks, troops left the installation and established forward operating bases (FOBs) in the Kuwaiti desert, CBS News reported.

“They ran so close to us I could see their helmets,” another service member told the outlet. “They came in, they hit us, and then took off.”

During these strikes, members of the military struggled with weapons shortages. A senior Army logistics official informed CBS News that the base was lacking in .50 caliber ammunition and other munitions including Patriot missile batteries.

“CBKU [Camp Buehrig] got demolished,” another service member said to the outlet. “They need to do an investigation. How come no one came in to reinforce us?”

A perceived lack of accountability from Pentagon leadership regarding assaults on Americans during the Iranian war appears to be a recurring problem. Only after a mandatory report to Congress did the Department of War disclose that there were strikes at US bases in Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, and Oman. Photos and videos of impact zones are extremely limited, CBS reported.

The outlet verified the video of Camp Buehrig, Kuwait using metadata embedded in the footage and comparing the footage to other photographs of damage at the base.