US soldier killed in Iraq during controlled explosion of downed drone
Even when an enemy drone is already shot down, it turns out the dangerous part isn’t quite over yet.
Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton was killed at Erbil Air Base in Iraq, not in an air strike or a firefight, but during a controlled detonation of a downed enemy attack drone.
The Pentagon is currently investigating how a routine disposal procedure went so terribly wrong. This brings the death toll to 17 American service members since operations in the region escalated earlier this year, right alongside reports of recent casualties in Jordan.
Diplomats keep publishing memorandums of understanding and talking about regional ceasefires, but unexploded hardware on the runway clearly didn't read the paperwork.
Bomb disposal remains one of the few jobs where even after the threat is neutralized, there is zero room for error.
Source: Department of Defense
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