Daily US Times, Pentagon: At least 11 U.S. servicemen were injured by Iranian missile attack on Al-Asad airbase in Iraq. Pentagon Initially denied any casualties.
On Thursday, the US-led military coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria issued a statement acknowledging the injuries.
“While no U.S. service members were killed in the Jan. 8 Iranian attacks on Al Asad Airbase, several were treated for concussion symptoms from the blast and are still being assessed,” the statement said.
The injured service members went to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany from Al Asad Air Base, Iraq for follow-on screening.
After the screening, if they are fit for duty, they will back to Iraq in their duties.
The U.S. killed top Irani military officer Qasem Soleimani in the outskirt of Baghdad airport earlier this month. The killing sharply increased tensions in the region as Iran promised to take retaliation.
In response, Iran fired dozens of missiles to two U.S. airbases in Iraq, where U.S. soldiers were staying. One of the attacked bases were Al-Asad airbase.
A US military official also told CNN about the injury of the soldiers.
But why the U.S. denied any casualties before? Replying to the question, the military official said: “that was the commander’s assessment at the time.”
A Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said they learned about the injuries today and ”directed a statement go out immediately.”
The U.S. military defines a casualty as either an injury or fatality involving personnel.
US unsuccessfully targeted another Iranian military official
The US military unsuccessfully targeted another Irani General in Yemen, the same night they killed Qasem Soleimani. An official with the knowledge of the incident and another source familiar says.
The Washington Post (WaPo) first reported about the operation.
The sources did not tell any further about how the US carried out the operation. The US officials said there is no plan of operations against the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Quds force leadership at this time.
No US official say any further information about the unsuccessful target.
A Pentagon spokeswoman Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich acknowledged that they saw the WaPo report but declined to say any detail information.
In a statement to CNN, she said: “We have seen the report of a January 2 airstrike in Yemen, which is long-understood as a safe space for terrorists and other adversaries to the United States. The Department of Defense does not discuss alleged operations in the region.”
You may like: US ‘ready for serious negotiations’ with Iran