US identifies soldier killed while disposing of downed Iranian drone in Iraq

The US Department of War on Tuesday identified the soldier killed during the controlled detonation of a downed Iranian one-way unmanned aerial system (UAS) in Iraq as Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, a 30-year-old from Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Swinton was killed in action on July 19 at Erbil Air Base during a controlled detonation of the downed drone, the department said, adding that the incident remains under investigation.

He was assigned to D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.


Earlier, The Associated Press (AP) had reported that Swinton would be posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge, and promoted to the rank of staff sergeant, citing a US military statement.

The incident comes days after two US Army soldiers were killed in Jordan while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. Those were the first US troop fatalities from direct Iranian fire since the early days of the conflict, according to the AP report.