Fact Check: Joe Biden’s False Claim on Zero Troop Casualties During His Presidency
President Joe Biden claimed that he is “the only president this century that doesn’t have any troops dying anywhere in the world.” This statement is incorrect. There have been confirmed U.S. military casualties during his presidency.
During the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in August 2021, a suicide bombing occurred at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport, resulting in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members. This incident marked one of the deadliest days for American forces in Afghanistan in recent years and occurred under President Biden’s administration.
Additionally, in January, there was an attack in Jordan that resulted in the deaths of three U.S. troops. This incident further contradicts the president’s claim of no U.S. troop deaths during his tenure.
These examples highlight significant military casualties involving U.S. personnel overseas during President Biden’s presidency, refuting his statement about there being no troop deaths under his administration.
In January, a drone attack at a U.S. military base in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border resulted in the deaths of three American service members, including a soldier from New Jersey. Sgt. William Rivers, 46, from Willingboro, Burlington County, was identified as one of the victims. He died alongside Spc. Kennedy Sanders, 24, and Spc. Breonna Moffett, 23, according to the Pentagon.
The attack occurred when a one-way unmanned aerial system (OWUAS), laden with explosives, struck their container housing units at Tower 22, a remote outpost where approximately 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel are stationed. The incident also left dozens more wounded, as reported by the Department of Defense.