- Pentagon says about 140 U.S. troops injured in Iran conflict.
- Majority of wounded service members reported to have minor injuries.
- Iran launched missile and drone strikes on U.S. bases.
- Eight U.S. personnel reported seriously wounded, receiving treatment.
A survey of two sources who know about the issue was quoted saying there were up to 150 U.S. service members wounded within the first 10 days of the war with Iran, outing a much greater number of casualties than Pentagon officials reported before.
This war started on February 28, under what Washington termed as Operation Epic Fury, and has occasioned prolonged missile and drone attacks on both Iranian and U.S. troops in the Middle East. So far the Pentagon had publicly recognized eight U.S. people as seriously wounded.
After the Reuters report on Tuesday, the pentagon made a statement which estimated the number of wounded to be about 140 in total, with majority of the injuries described as minor.
"About 140 U.S. service members have been injured within 10 days of continuous attacks."
Pentagon Affirms that Majority of the Injuries are minor
About 140 U.S. service members have been injured within 10 days of continuous attacks and this is according to chief Pentagon spokesperson, Sean Parnell in a statement.
Parnell also said that 108 of the injured men had already gone back into active service, which meant that some injuries did not incapacitate enough men to enable them to continue their work.
He also assured that eight service members were in critical conditions and undergoing quality treatment. The American authorities did not specify whether the injuries were traumatic or not and the conditions under which they were received.
Reuters could not establish whether the injuries had traumatic brain injuries, which are normally accompanied by exposure to blast in case of the missile or drones attacks in the contemporary warfare.
Iranian Revenge Strikes in U.S. Bases
Since the start of the war, Iran has launched several revenge attacks on American military facilities in the region. A number of attacks have focused on the bases where American troops are stationed throughout the Middle East.
Besides military facilities, Iranian troops and bombers have attacked diplomatic offices in several Arab Gulf countries, hotels and airports, as reported by the authorities and other media outlets in the region. Some attacks have also affected energy infrastructure posing risk of economic disruption on a broader basis.
Although it has been retaliated, according to the Pentagon the Iranian attacks have reduced over the past days since the U.S. troops have continued to strike the Iranian missile launching stations, arms stores and other military installations.
According to military officials, such operations have diminished the ability of the Iran to attack in a long range.
U.S. Military Says Iran is not as strong as it had anticipated
U.S. military commanders have mentioned that the degree of the war has still been maintained in the level, which is expected by American war planners.
General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff, said in a briefing at the Pentagon that he believed they were fighting but not even more formidable than we thought they were.
The statements of Caine imply that although Iran has shown that it is capable of sustained retaliatory strike, the leadership of the U.S. military thinks that it is no longer any stronger than it was during an evaluation prior to the war.
"We believed they were formidable, but not even more formidable than we thought they were."
The US and Iran war is still in its development stages as both parties share attacks at various places in the region. Authorities have not yet specified the duration of the war although military activities are still being an ongoing affair.
