Report Reveals: Pentagon Concealed Dozens of US Military Injuries from Iranian Attacks in Region
The New York Times revealed that the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) withheld information regarding injuries sustained by dozens of American military personnel in Iranian attacks targeting U.S. forces in the region during the conflict with Iran. The newspaper reported that these attacks were not announced at the time, despite resulting in injuries and damage to military helicopters. According to a report prepared by military affairs correspondent Eric Schmitt for the newspaper, Iran carried out three attacks on U.S. forces in regional countries during the week preceding Friday's assault, which resulted in the deaths of at least three soldiers. These prior attacks led to injuries among dozens of military personnel and damage to several helicopters, according to U.S. officials who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity. The report clarified that the Pentagon did not disclose these attacks or the extent of the injuries and damage they caused, noting that this secrecy reflects the tension between what the Defense Department refers to as operational security necessities and the government's duty to inform the public about the course of the war. In a related context, the newspaper indicated that the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) had asserted in its statements regarding airstrikes on Iranian military sites that these were in response to attacks targeting commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, without mentioning the Iranian attacks that targeted its bases in the region. The newspaper quoted a U.S. military official as saying that CENTCOM is not obligated to announce military injuries, especially if personnel return to duty quickly. Another military official added that disclosing such information could help Iran improve its targeting with ballistic missiles and drones against military bases in the Middle East. The report also noted, citing U.S. officials, that CENTCOM had similarly stopped announcing the number of sites it targets daily inside Iran for the same reasons. The newspaper stated that the Pentagon provided limited information over the past few days regarding U.S. military strategy after approximately five months of conflict, pointing out that the last extensive press briefing held by the Defense Department on the war was in early May. The report further mentioned that the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump did not disclose, in recent months, the extent to which the conflict was depleting U.S. stockpiles of expensive and heavy weapons, nor did it clarify how Iran managed to retain and rebuild part of its missile capabilities. The newspaper highlighted that the issue of U.S. human losses is considered one of the most sensitive files, as the number of U.S. military personnel killed since the start of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28 has risen to 17. It indicated that Pentagon protocols stipulate that the names of killed service members are only announced 24 hours after their next of kin are notified, while the names of personnel injured during operations are generally not published. According to the report, more than 400 U.S. military personnel have been injured since the outbreak of the conflict with Iran, according to CENTCOM. However, the Pentagon, which had been regularly announcing the total number of injured and those returned to duty since the beginning of the war, stopped updating this figure in recent weeks. The report added that in previous U.S. administrations, the Pentagon typically delayed announcing details of military injuries until next of kin notification was complete, whereas during the administration of former President Joe Biden, the Department of Defense regularly announced the numbers of service members injured in attacks carried out by Iran-backed groups on bases in Syria and Iraq.
