Iran attack: 14 more U.S. troops suffered brain injuries, Pentagon says

For the second time this week, the Defense Department on Thursday night revised the number of U.S. troops who suffered traumatic brain injuries during a Jan. 8 Iranian rocket attack on an American military base.

The new number stands at 64, officials said, up from the estimate of 50 just two days ago.

“We’ll continue to monitor them the rest of their lives, actually, and continue to provide whatever treatment is necessary,” Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday. “And we take great pride in the fact that these are our own and we’re going to take care of them.”

The Jan. 8 attack on Al Asad Air Base came just days after a U.S. airstrike killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. The Al Asad attack brought the U.S. and Iran to the brink of war, but President Trump ultimately decided against direct military retaliation.

Part of the president’s rationale was that no Americans were killed or seriously wounded in the Iranian assault. The steady increase in estimated brain injuries, however, challenges that assertion.

Of the 64 troops, 39 have returned to duty, officials said. Twenty-one have been transported to Germany.

Eight have already returned to the U.S., while another nine are scheduled to return soon. Three recently arrived in Germany and are undergoing evaluation, the Pentagon said.