About 200 soldiers have been wounded and 13 U.S. service members have been killed during the military campaign targeting Iran.
On March 16, Timothy Hawkins, spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), released updated figures on U.S. military casualties after more than two weeks of conflict with Iran.
According to Hawkins, around 200 troops have been injured. He noted that most of the injuries were minor and that more than 180 service members have already returned to duty.
The new figure represents an increase from a previous Pentagon report, which stated that 140 U.S. soldiers had been injured as of March 10, including eight cases classified as severe.
A U.S. official previously said that the seriously injured personnel included cases with a high risk of death or those who could potentially die immediately.
Military officials also emphasized that the number of wounded could change or increase over time, as many service members do not seek medical attention immediately after an incident, particularly if they believe their injuries are not serious.
Meanwhile, a total of 13 U.S. service members have died across seven different countries since the United States launched its airstrike campaign against Iran.
Specifically, six crew members were killed last week when a U.S. military refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq in an incident that the U.S. military said was not caused by enemy fire or friendly fire.
In addition, six other U.S. troops were killed when an Iranian drone struck an operations center at a civilian port in Kuwait.
Another U.S. service member died after being wounded in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
These losses reflect the dangerous escalation of the conflict, as attacks are not only occurring directly between the main parties but have also spread to several countries across the region. U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that he was completely surprised by Iran’s retaliation, which targeted U.S. assets in a number of neighboring countries following the American airstrike campaign.
An unnamed U.S. official said that around a dozen MQ-9 Reaper drones have been destroyed during the conflict.
The MQ-9 Reaper is an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of loitering at an altitude of about 15,000 meters for more than 27 hours. It is equipped with advanced cameras, sensors, and radar systems for intelligence gathering.
This UAV was introduced into the U.S. Air Force about 16 years ago and can carry weapons such as air-to-ground missiles, allowing it to conduct both reconnaissance and strike missions.
Last week, several sources claimed that five U.S. refueling aircraft at a base in Saudi Arabia were destroyed in an Iranian strike. President Donald Trump denied the report, stating that only one refueling aircraft had suffered minor damage.
The United States launched its airstrike campaign against Iran on February 28, and since then has targeted more than 7,000 locations across Iran during the conflict. These targets include military facilities and senior officials.
According to Iranian authorities, U.S. and Israeli airstrikes have so far killed more than 1,300 people in Iran.
In addition, hundreds of civilians in Lebanon have died as Israel targeted Hezbollah in an effort to prevent the group from joining Iran in the military campaign.
