Fifty American soldiers suffered traumatic brain injuries during the retaliatory Iranian missile strike on the US forces in Iraq, according to the Pentagon, revising the figure for a third time since the attack on January 8.
Iran attacked Iraqi bases housing US soldiers in retaliation for an American drone attack that killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on January 2, raising regional tensions.
The Pentagon and President Donald Trump had initially said no service members were injured or killed in the Iranian missile attack.
But last week, the Pentagon said 34 troops were injured in the attack. Earlier, the US Central Command said that 11 service members were treated for concussion symptoms from the attack. On Tuesday, it upped the figure of injured soldiers by 16 to 50 service personnel.
“As of today, 50 U.S. Service members have been diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI),” Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Thomas Campbell said in the statement. “Of these 50, 31 total service members were treated in Iraq and returned to duty, including 15 of the additional service members who have been diagnosed since the previous report. Eighteen service members have been transported to Germany for further evaluation and treatment.