As many as 150 U.S. troops have been wounded in the 10-day-old war with Iran, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
The casualty figure has not been previously reported. Prior to Reuters’ publication of the figure, the Pentagon had only disclosed eight U.S. personnel seriously injured.
In a statement after Reuters published its report, Pentagon Spokesperson, Sean Parnell, put the figures at about 140, saying on Tuesday that “since the start of Operation Epic Fury, approximately 140 U.S. service members have been wounded over 10 days of sustained attacks. The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty.”
“Eight service members remain listed as severely injured and are receiving the highest level of medical care,” he added.
Seven US military personnel were also killed in Iranian attacks early in the conflict, the US military has previously said.
Reuters could not determine the types of injuries and whether they include traumatic brain injuries, which are common after exposure to blasts.
Iran has launched retaliatory strikes against U.S. military bases since the start of the conflict on Feb. 28. It has also struck diplomatic missions in Arab Gulf states as well as hotels andairports and damaged oil infrastructure.
The Pentagon says the number of Iranian strikes has fallen sharply since the start of the war, as the U.S. military bombs Iran’s weapons inventories and targets Iran’s more limited number of missile launchers.
Asked if Iran was a stronger adversary than he expected when the U.S. military drew up its war plans, General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters earlier on Tuesday that the fight was not harder than expected.
“I think they’re fighting, and I respect that, but I don’t think they are more formidable than what we thought,” Caine told a Pentagon briefing.
Written with reports from Reuters, AFP