About 100 US troops have been wounded during the latest weeks of the conflict with Iran, the US military confirmed. Meanwhile, a New York Times report claims that the Pentagon has not disclosed several Iranian attacks on US forces or their consequences.
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US officials, who requested anonymity, said Iran carried out three additional attacks on US troops in the region during the week preceding Friday’s strike in Jordan. Two US soldiers were killed in that attack, while another was reported missing. The three earlier strikes wounded dozens of troops and damaged several helicopters.
Neither the attacks, the casualties nor the damage caused were publicly disclosed by the Pentagon. The New York Times described the issue as another clash between the military’s need to protect operational security and the government’s responsibility to keep the public informed during a military conflict.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it is under no obligation to publicly disclose information about wounded troops, particularly when they return to duty within a short period of time. According to one military official’s reasoning, revealing details could provide Iran with valuable information for targeting drone and ballistic missile attacks against US bases in the Middle East.
Accusations that the US military is concealing information about injuries to troops were denied by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.
Parnell said the vast majority of those wounded had suffered only “minor head injuries,” while 96% had returned to duty.
Central Command data show that more than 400 US military personnel have been wounded since the conflict with Iran began. The Pentagon, for its part, has periodically released figures on wounded troops who have returned to service.
The number of US troops killed since military operations against Iran began on February 28 has reached 17. The figure includes the two soldiers killed in Jordan and another service member killed in northern Iraq.
