One of the U.S. soldiers deployed Jan. 4, 2020 in Fort Bragg, as tensions increase with Iran in the region after a U.S. airstrike killed top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. (Photo by Andrew Craft/Getty Images) At least 50 United States military personnel have suffered concussions and other brain injuries from Iran’s Jan. 8 strikes against two U.S. military bases in Iraq.
Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Thomas Campbell announced the latest figure in a Jan. 28 statement, highlighting that 32 of the 50 personnel have been treated for their injuries and are now back to being active in Iraq. The remaining soldiers are currently receiving treatment in Germany, according to National Public Radio (NPR).
“The department is committed to delivering programs and services intended to lead to the best possible outcomes for our service members who suffer any injury,” Campbell said.
Iran struck the U.S. bases in Erbil and Al-Asad in retaliation for the U.S. killing Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 2. President Donald Trump said at the time that no one was injured in Iran’s retaliation strikes.
During a Jan. 22 press conference, Trump said that he didn’t consider the brain injuries to be particularly serious.
“I’ve seen what Iran has done with their roadside bombs to our troops. I’ve seen people with no legs and with no arms,” Trump said. “I’ve seen people that were horribly, horribly injured in that area, that war — in fact, many cases put — those bombs put there by Soleimani, who is no longer with us. I consider them to be really bad injuries.”
In the week before Campbell’s announcement, there were 34 fatalities. According to the Centers for Disease Control, symptoms of traumatic brain injuries might not present themselves for days or months after the injury occurred. According to CNN, the number of U.S. military personnel who suffered traumatic brain injuries from the strikes will likely increase.
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