Early January this year, the world was at the brink of what many people tagged as “World War 3” on social media as USA and Iran had a standoff or a show of military force. Amid tensions over the US killing of an Iranian general Qasem Suleimani, missiles were launched from Iran to a US military base in Iraq on 8 January.
President Donald Trump initially said no Americans were injured in the raid, but US officials have confirmed that the number of US troops suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI) after the Iranian attack on the US base in Iraq has risen to 109. The figure is a significant increase from the 64 injured service members previously reported by the Pentagon.
Nearly 70% of the injured service members have returned to their duties, the Pentagon added in its statement. The rising number of reported cases results from the mild form of injury which means symptoms take time to manifest, the Pentagon said in a press conference in January.
US Republican lawmaker Joni Ernst called for more answers on Monday.
“It’s vital we have a plan to treat these injured service members.
“I’ve called on the Pentagon to ensure the safety and care of our deployed forces who may be exposed to blast injuries in Iraq,” he tweeted.
Credit: bbc
