Army survivors of deadly attack in Kuwait dispute Pentagon’s account, say unit “was unprepared” to defend itself
The survivors of Deadliest Iranian attack on American forces since the start of the war disputed the Pentagon’s description of events and said their unit in Kuwait was dangerously exposed when six servicemen were killed and more than 20 injured.
Speaking publicly for the first time, members of the targeted unit offered CBS News a detailed account of the attack and its harrowing aftermath, from the perspective of those on the ground.
Members CBS News spoke with disputed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s description of events, who described the drone as a “squirt” — in the sense that it flew through the defenses of a fortified unit in Kuwait.
“To portray an image that we’ve been able to sift through is a lie,” one of the injured soldiers told CBS News. “I want people to know that the unit…was not prepared for its own defense. It was not a fortified position.”
The soldier, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity because of rigid media restrictions within the military, said that despite the carnage that followed, those inside the charred and shattered compound responded with speed, ingenuity and courage, saving lives.
“I don’t think the security environment or any leadership decision diminishes in any way their sacrifice or their service,” the member of the Army’s 103rd Sustainment Command said in an interview. “These soldiers put themselves in danger and… I am immensely proud of them, and their families should be proud of them.”
These early eyewitness accounts, along with photos and videos of the attack’s aftermath obtained exclusively by CBS News, offer the first descriptions of what happened on March 1 in barely fortified Kuwaiti port facility on the day of the Iranian drone strike.
In the hours before the attack, missile approach alarms had signaled a crew of about 60 soldiers to take cover in a cement bunker as a ballistic missile flew overhead. But around 9:15 a.m., the alarm sounded. The officers removed their helmets and returned to their desks in the wood and tin workspace, about the width of three trailers.
From there, they took over management of the movement of equipment, munitions and personnel across the Middle East.
About 30 minutes later, “everything shook,” a trooper told CBS News. “And it’s kind of like what you see in the movies. Your ears are ringing. Everything’s blurry. Your vision is blurry. You’re dizzy. There’s dust and smoke everywhere.”
Stunned, the soldier observed a macabre scene: “Head wounds, heavy bleeding, lots of perforated eardrums, and then just shrapnel everywhere, so people are bleeding from the abdomen, arms, legs. »
Video shows smoke billowing from the building and smoldering fires. The explosion killed six people – the deadliest attack on US troops since 2021 – and injured more than 20 others.
It was a direct hit.
“Get off the X”
About a week before the launch of Operation Epic Fury, most U.S. soldiers and airmen stationed in Kuwait were transferred to positions in Jordan and Saudi Arabia and further from Iranian missile range. Some soldiers said leaders advised them not to leave for long — to pack up for 30 days and leave behind most of their personal equipment, including their military computers. The goal: not to be a target.
“The way it was described was ‘Get off the X,'” meaning away from the danger zone, said one soldier who just returned from deployment.
But for several dozen members of the Army’s 103rd Sustainment Command, based at a major U.S. base south of Kuwait City, there was a different order: Pack everything up and move to Shuaiba Port, a smaller military outpost off Kuwait’s southern coast.
The tactical operations center was similar to structures common in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – before the rise of drone warfare. Steel-reinforced concrete barriers, called T-walls, surrounded the building. These types of barriers are designed to protect soldiers from the blast of a mortar or rocket, but offer no protection against aerial attacks.
“It’s just kind of a classic, older military base,” one soldier recalled. “A few small barriers. There are a bunch of small tin buildings where we can set up makeshift offices.”
From there, a logistics staff would manage the operational and informational flow of munitions, equipment and personnel across the Middle East theater. Still, the soldiers told CBS News, they wondered why they remained within range of Iranian missiles and drones. One soldier said he saw information showing the post was on a list of potential Iranian targets.
“We got closer to Iran, in a very dangerous area that was a known target,” the soldier said. “I don’t think there’s ever been a good reason articulated.”
He said they were protected by little more than a thin layer of vertical protection. blow up the barricades which did not provide cover from above.
“From a bunker perspective, it’s about as low as it gets,” he said.
When asked to describe the degree of fortification, he replied: “I mean, I would put it in the category of none. From a drone defense capability standpoint…none.”
A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on the soldiers’ claims, citing an active investigation into the Shuaiba port attack.
In an article on X addressing past reporting from CBS News Regarding the incident, Deputy Defense Secretary Sean Parnell said that “every possible step has been taken to protect our troops – at every level” and that “[t]The secure facility was fortified by 6-foot-high walls.”
“It was chaos”
As the war began, it became clear that Iran would move away from a conventional defense and rely more on cheap and abundant drones — an arsenal that has changed the calculus of combat in countries like Ukraine.
It was one of those Iranian Shahed drones that exploded directly in the center of the American soldiers’ construction site.
“It was chaos,” described another wounded soldier. “There wasn’t a single line of patients to sort through. You’re on one side of the fire or the other.”
The soldiers, according to witnesses, sorted themselves out with makeshift bandages, splints and tourniquets. They commandeered civilian vehicles to transport the injured to two local Kuwaiti hospitals located in the Kuwaiti suburb of Fahaheel.
“One of the hardest things for me is I know we didn’t get everyone out, so I know at this point there are still soldiers inside who still haven’t been identified or evacuated,” one survivor said of the tense moments on the way to the hospital before other teams extracted the fallen remains.
“Telling the truth is important”
Hegseth’s description of events at a press conference in Washington did not sit well with some survivors. The secretary of state had described the drone as a “squirter” that “hit a fortified tactical operations center, but they are powerful weapons.”
And although several people close to events on the ground disagreed with this description, they did not want their words to be misinterpreted.
“I don’t intend to lower morale or disparage the Army or the War Department more generally, but I think it’s important to tell the truth and that we won’t learn from these mistakes if we pretend they didn’t happen,” one soldier said.
When asked if the attack was an inherent reality of combat, he agreed.
“It’s true,” he said.
When asked if this attack was preventable, the soldier replied: “In my opinion, absolutely, yes.”
“I am very sad for their loss and it is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life,” he said. “But I’m also extremely proud of them and their sacrifice, and their families should be too.”
