Eleven U.S. service members were injured in the Jan. 8 Iranian missile attack on Iraq’s al-Asad air base, according to media reports Thursday.
Defense One first reported that the wounded troops were transferred to hospitals in Kuwait and Germany and treated for traumatic brain injury and concussion symptoms stemming from the blast.
Iran fired missiles at two military bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq on Jan. 8 in retaliation for the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a top Revolutionary Guard commander. Senior military officials in the Trump administration said there were no immediate reports of American casualties while President Donald Trump tweeted “All is well!” and “so far, so good” in terms of casualties.
Trump addressed the U.S. in the hours following the attack and said that “no Americans were harmed in last night’s attack by the Iranian regime.”
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“Out of an abundance of caution, some service members were transported from Al Asad Air Base, Iraq to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, others were sent to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, for follow-on screening,” Myles Caggins, spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, told Defense One.
“When deemed fit for duty, the service members are expected to return to Iraq following screening,” Caggins said.
CNN confirmed the report, and was told by a Defense official regarding the initial evaluation, “That was the commander’s assessment at the time. Symptoms emerged days after the fact, and they were treated out of an abundance of caution.”
Earlier in the week, the New York Times reported that several military personnel were being treated for concussions.
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