US officials: Nearly 100 American troops injured in Iranian strikes across Middle East
WASHINGTON, July 23 (YPA) – Nearly 12 US troops were seriously wounded in Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting US forces in the region earlier this month, a US military official told The New York Times.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the injured soldiers were evacuated by air to a US military hospital in Germany for treatment. The Pentagon declined to comment on the report.
Flight-tracking websites monitored several medical evacuation flights in recent days carried out by US Air Force C-17 transport aircraft from Jordan to Germany.
Nearly 100 injured soldiers since early July
The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) confirmed that nearly 100 American service members have suffered varying degrees of injuries in Iranian attacks since July 7.
US officials said around 50 of those troops were injured in recent attacks targeting military bases in Jordan where American forces are stationed.
The Pentagon said that “most of the injured have returned to duty.”
The Pentagon withheld details of the latest US casualties in Jordan and elsewhere in the Middle East until The New York Times reported on injuries sustained in four attacks over the past week, including Friday’s attack that killed three US soldiers and wounded others.
According to the newspaper, 18 US troops have been killed and around 550 others wounded since the war began on February 28.
Pentagon denies withholding casualty figures
The New York Times said the Pentagon has provided limited details about US military operations since the conflict with Iran resumed, nearly five months into the war. The last major Defense Department briefing on the conflict was held in early May.
Following US strikes on Iranian military sites last week, US Central Command said the attacks were carried out in response to Iranian strikes on commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The command did not mention Iranian attacks on US military bases in the region, including those in Jordan.
A US military official said Central Command is not required to publicly disclose information about injured service members, particularly when they quickly return to duty.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell rejected accusations that the military was hiding US casualties or providing misleading information, describing claims of a cover-up after the deaths of three US soldiers as “false allegations.”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the deaths of the soldiers in Jordan “only strengthen our resolve.”
@E.Y.M