Pentagon: 34 US troops had brain injuries from Iran’s strike
January 24, 2020 12:22PM AKST
U.S. Soldiers stand at a site of Iranian bombing at Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar, Iraq, Monday, Jan. 13, 2020. Ain al-Asad air base was struck by a barrage of Iranian missiles on Wednesday, in retaliation for the U.S. drone strike that killed atop Iranian commander, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, whose killing raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Qassim Abdul-Zahra)
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Pentagon says 34 U.S. troops have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries suffered in this month’s Iranian missile strike on an Iraqi air base. Half of the troops have returned to their duties, while the others are still under observation. The 34 total is more than previously reported. President Donald Trump had initially said he was told that no troops had been injured in the Jan. 8 strike. The military said symptoms were no immediately apparent, and that in some cases, the concussion-like symptoms appeared days later. After the first reports that some troops had been diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms, Trump referred to the injuries as “headaches.”
