US soldiers were killed in Iranian drone strike on operations centre at Kuwait civilian port
Washington (AP): An operations centre targeted by an Iranian drone strike that killed six American soldiers on Sunday was located in the heart of a civilian port in Kuwait, miles away from the main Army base, according to satellite images and a US official.
The husband of one of the slain soldiers, who was part of a supply and logistics unit based in Iowa, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the hub was a shipping container-style building and had no defences.
The development, reported earlier by CNN and CBS News, raises questions about the safety precautions that the US military had in place as it, along with Israel, launched an attack on Iran, which has responded with retaliatory strikes against several countries in the region, including Kuwait.
President Donald Trump and top defence leaders say more American casualties are likely.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that the six soldiers were killed in a “tactical operations centre” when a projectile made its way past air defences. A day later, the Pentagon confirmed it was a drone strike in Port Shuaiba when announcing the names of four of the soldiers who were slain.
A satellite image taken Monday and reviewed by the AP showed the main building in the complex destroyed, with a trail of black smoke rising from it. It is located in the heart of Port Shuaiba, a working seaport and industrial area just south of Kuwait City. The US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a matter under active investigation, confirmed the image depicted the location of Sunday's attack.
The Army base, Camp Arifjan, is more than 10 miles to the south. The operations centre was just a little over a mile from some of the piers where merchant ships would offload cargo containers and was surrounded by oil storage tanks, refineries and a power plant.
Joey Amor, husband of Sgt 1st Class Nicole Amor, said his wife was moved off-base to what he described as a shipping container-style building a week before the Iranian strike. The 39-year-old from White Bear Lake, Minnesota, was one of the soldiers killed in the attack.
“They were dispersing because they were in fear that the base they were on was going to get attacked, and they felt it was safer in smaller groups in separated places,” he said.
After news reports about the operations centre emerged, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on social media that the “secure facility was fortified with 6-foot walls.” He said the military has “the most extensive Air Defence umbrella in the world over the Middle East right now and control of the skies is increasing with every wave of airpower.”
Parnell's office did not respond to questions about what role the walls would have played in defending against a drone attack or what air defences were present in range of the command centre at the port.
Capt Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, said “it would be inappropriate to comment given the incident is under investigation.”
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Mangaluru’s H.M. Pernal awarded Sahitya Akademi Award for Konkani literature
New Delhi: Popular Konkani writer and journalist H.M. Pernal (Henry Mendonca) from Mangaluru has been awarded the 2025 Sahitya Akademi Award for his acclaimed literary criticism work Konkani Kavyem: Rupam Ani Rupakam (2021).
The award was presented to Pernal by Akademi President Madhav Kaushik on March 31, 2026, at 6:30 pm at Kamani Auditorium.
The awards were presented in 23 languages, while the Malayalam awardee could not attend due to ill health. Aneish P. Rajan, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Culture, was also present. Renowned Hindi author Vishwanath Tiwari attended as the chief guest and delivered the keynote address. Vice President Prof. Kumud Sharma and Secretary Pallavi Holkar were also present.
The Sahitya Akademi Award is among the highest literary honours conferred in India. Each year, the Akademi recognises outstanding literary works in 24 languages, including 22 scheduled languages along with English and Rajasthani.
Konkani has been a scheduled language since 1992 and is spoken across Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Gujarat. The language received recognition from the Sahitya Akademi in 1975, and awards for Konkani literature have been presented since 1977.
From Mangaluru, Cha. Fra. D’Costa (1992) and Melvyn Rodrigues (2011) had earlier received the Sahitya Akademi Award for their poetry collections, while Edwin J.F.D. Souza was honoured in 2016 for his novel. With this recognition, H.M. Pernal becomes the fourth Konkani writer from Karnataka to receive the award.
His work Konkani Kavyem: Rupam Ani Rupakam has marked a significant milestone by becoming the first Konkani book in the literary criticism category to be honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Award. Prior to this recognition, the book had already received the Best Book Award from the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademi in 2021 and the Best Book Award from the Goa Konkani Akademi in 2023.
The publication features a detailed foreword by Jnanpith awardee Damodar Mauzo and has been brought out by Kavita Publications, Mangaluru.
Henry Mendonca was born in Pernal, located in Udupi district. He completed his schooling at Hindu Junior College in Shirva, pursued his undergraduate studies at MSRS College, and later went on to complete his postgraduate education in Mumbai. By profession, he is a commercial accountant.
He began his literary journey writing in Kannada, contributing to magazines such as Taranga, Sankramana and Shudra. In the early 1980s, he transitioned into Konkani literature, initially working as a cartoonist for the magazine Yuvak. Over time, he evolved into a multifaceted literary figure, establishing himself as a short story writer, poet, critic, editor and publisher.
In 2011, he launched the online literary magazine ‘Kitaal,’ which has been continuously published for the past fourteen years and has emerged as a significant platform for both established and emerging writers in the digital Konkani literary space.
Two years later, in 2013, he founded the literary magazine ‘Arso’ as a fortnightly publication, which has since transitioned into a monthly magazine now in its twelfth year, currently edited by poet Wilson Katil. The annual special issues of Arso have earned notable recognition within literary circles.
Through his publishing initiative Kitaal Prakashan, Mendonca has brought out more than 15 original literary works.
His published works include four poetry collections—Chalyank Chatray (1999), Kaydyacho Kavita (2004), Bhamunanchem Chedum (2006) and Janel (2025).
He has also authored two short story collections—Devak Sodullo Pado (2002) and Beeg Ani Bigat (2016)—in addition to his award-winning critical work Konkani Kavyem: Rupam Ani Rupakam (2021).
His short story collection Beeg Ani Bigat received the Shrimati Vimala V. Pai Best Literary Work Award in 2017, instituted by the Vishwa Konkani Kendra in memory of the mother of entrepreneur T.V. Mohandas Pai. In recognition of his contribution to Konkani poetry, he was honoured with the Mathayas Family Endowment Poetry Award by Kavita Trust in 2018.
He was also honoured with the Best Book Award by the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademi in 2021 for Konkani Kavyem: Rupam Ani Rupakam, the Konkani Sahitya Gaurav Award by the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademi in 2022, the Dakshina Kannada District Rajyotsava Award in 2023 for his contributions to Konkani literature and journalism, and the Best Book Award from the Goa Konkani Akademi in 2023 for the same book.
Pernal has written more than 850 poems, over 100 short stories and more than 2,000 articles. Through print and digital media, he has consistently contributed to the growth of Konkani literature.
Since 2012, he has been identifying and encouraging emerging writers by presenting the Kitaal Yuva Puraskar every year. The award is sponsored by the family of Abu Dhabi-based entrepreneur and philanthropist Leo Rodrigues and includes a citation and a cash prize of Rs 25,000.
At present, Pernal is the chief editor of the Vision Konkani Book Grant Project initiated by Michael D’Souza. Under this scheme, Konkani writers are provided financial assistance of up to Rs 40,000 for the publication of a book.
The project, with a total budget of Rs 40 lakh, is fully sponsored by NRI entrepreneur and Konkani language patron Michael D’Souza. It is being implemented under the supervision of the Vishwa Konkani Kendra and aims to support the publication of 100 books over a five-year period.
A committed leader in the Konkani literary community, Pernal served as the working president of the All India Silver Jubilee Konkani Literary Conference held in Mangaluru in 2023. He is currently serving as the treasurer of the All India Konkani Parishad.
He has also served as the president of the Konkani Writers’ Union and is presently a member of the Konkani Language Advisory Board of the Sahitya Akademi.
