Indian Descent Army Sergeant Killed In War With Iran

NEW YORK, NY- US soldier Angela Rampersad is feared killed during an Iranian attack on a base in Jordan, according to the Pentagon.

The 25-year-old Army sergeant “is believed to have been killed in action on July 17, 2026, during an enemy attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan”, the Department of Defense said.

“The incident is under investigation”, it said, adding that Rampersad, who had previously been listed as missing, had her “status updated to a Duty Status – Whereabouts Unknown and is believed to be deceased”.

Rampersad is from the Indian community of immigrants from Guyana. The Pentagon said she is from the Ozone Park neighborhood of New York City’s Queens borough, home to a large IndianGuyanese community. Her father was identified by local Democratic Party leader Pesach Osina as Basdeo Rampersad.

Osina, the Democratic Party nominee for the New York State Assembly constituency where the family lives, hailed Rampersad as “truly a gift to everyone who knew her” and said she “wanted to serve, protect others, and do her duty with courage and humility”. He added on X that he had remained close to her father, Basdeo Rampersad, and her family, including her mother, Carol Acevedo, since the tragedy.

President Donald Trump said on July 22 that Iran was “going to pay a big price” for the attack. Earlier, he wrote on Truth Social, “Every time Iran kills an American Soldier, they will pay for that killing many times over”.

Rampersad would be the fourth US Army personnel killed in the attack on the base as the US-Iran conflict, which resumed last month, continues. So far, 18 US military personnel have been confirmed killed since the conflict broke out in February after Israel and the US began air attacks on Iranian leadership.

Rampersad, who is with the 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command in Ansbach, Germany, was on duty in Jordan when Iran launched drone attacks on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. (IANS)