Department of War Confirms US Soldier Killed in Kuwait Drone Attack, Identifies Second as Believed Casualty

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - A drone strike in Kuwait tied to the expanding regional conflict has claimed the lives of US Army Reserve personnel supporting Operation Epic Fury, as American authorities confirmed one death and reported another soldier believed to have perished in the same incident.

On Thursday, the Department of War announced the death of Maj. Jeffrey R. O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa, who was killed on March 1, 2026, in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, during an unmanned aircraft system attack.

Maj. O’Brien was assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines, Iowa. Officials said the incident remains under investigation.

In a separate release issued the same day, the Department of War stated that Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California, is believed to be the individual who died at the scene of the same incident.

Authorities said Marzan was present at the site of the March 1 attack in Port Shuaiba while supporting Operation Epic Fury. He was also assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines, Iowa.

Officials noted that positive identification of Chief Warrant Officer 3 Marzan will be completed by a medical examiner.

The announcements come as tensions intensify across the region.

In Qatar, the Interior Ministry said it had begun implementing urgent security measures around the US embassy compound, including evacuating residents living nearby as a precautionary step.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry said relevant authorities had begun evacuating and relocating residents from the area surrounding the US embassy as a temporary self-protection measure. It added that alternative accommodation had been arranged for those displaced from the vicinity of the diplomatic compound.

The March 1 attack in Kuwait remains under investigation as security measures expand across the region amid the ongoing conflict.