The United States treated 11 of its troops for symptoms of concussion after an Iranian missile attack on 8 January on an Iraqi base where US forces were stationed, the US military said on Thursday (local time), after initially saying no service members were hurt.
The Ain al Asad airbase. Photo: AFP
The attack was retaliation for a US drone strike in Baghdad on 3 January that killed Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the elite Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
US President Donald Trump and the US military had said there were no casualties after the strike on the Ain al Asad airbase in western Iraq and a facility in its northern Kurdish region.
"While no US service members were killed in the 8 January Iranian attack on Al Asad airbase, several were treated for concussion symptoms from the blast and are still being assessed," Captain Bill Urban, spokesperson for US Central Command, said in a statement.
As a measure of caution, some service members were taken to US facilities in Germany or Kuwait for "follow-on screening," he added.
"When deemed fit for duty, the service members are expected to return to Iraq."
As many as 1500 Americans were deployed at the vast base deep in Iraq's Anbar desert.
- Reuters
