Traumatic Brain Injuries: 34 US Troops Suffered TBI in Iran Missile Strike On Iraqi Bases

The Defense Department Friday confirmed 34 U.S. troops suffered traumatic brain injuries the Iranian missile strike on two Iraqi air bases earlier this month in retaliation for the targeted U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Eight of those injured were returned to the United States early Friday.

President Trump initially said no U.S. troops had been injured in the attack and shrugged off subsequent reports of injuries.

“I heard that they had headaches. And a couple of other things. But I would say, and I can report, it is not very serious,” Trump said Wednesday at a news conference in Davos, Switzerland.

Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said 17 of the 34 casualties are still receiving medical treatment in the first acknowledgement of TBI related to the incident. Eighteen of the victims were evacuated from Iraq to medical facilities in Germany and Kuwait.

“Thirty-four total members have been diagnosed with concussions and TBI,” Hoffman said. “Eight service members who were previously transported to Germany have been transported to the United States. They will continue to receive treatment in the United States either at Walter Reed or their home bases.”

The service member evacuated to Kuwait has since returned to duty, along with the 16 who remained in Iraq, Hoffman said.

Iran unleashed a barrage of missiles Jan. 7 in retaliation for the Jan. 3 killing of Soleimani, described as the architect of Tehran’s campaign to spread its influence throughout the region. The drone strike that killed Soleimani near Baghdad airport has roiled U.S.-Iraqi relations, leading the Iraqi Parliament to demand that U.S. troops, which have been in the country since 2003, be expelled.

Michael Kaplen, chair of the New York State Traumatic Brain Injury Services Coordinating Council and past president of the Brain Injury Association of New York State, described TBI as life-altering injury that affects physical, cognitive and emotional behavior.

He called Trump’s equating TBI to a headache “shocking and disrespectful.”

Military officials said the delay in reporting the injuries was the result of the time it took for the information to filter up the chain of command. They also said just injuries don’t always manifest immediately.