US military says 11 troops injured & flown out of Iraq for medical checks after Iranian strike on base
US Central Command has revealed that 11 personnel stationed at an Iraqi airbase which incurred a retaliatory attack by Tehran earlier in January had to be sent out of the country after displaying concussion symptoms.
“While no US service members were killed in the January 8 Iranian attack on Al Asad airbase, several were treated for concussion symptoms from the blast and are still being assessed,” Navy Captain Bill Urban said in a statement on Thursday.
Upon initial examination, eight troops were flown out of the war-ravaged country to a medical facility in Germany for further checks, while three others were taken to Camp Arifjan, a US Army installation in Kuwait.
Also on rt.com Iran didn’t want to kill US troops with its strike, it wanted to make point to Trump about its missile tech & resolve. It did thatThe temporary removal of the troops was taken “out of an abundance of caution,” Urban said, refusing to divulge any more details about the condition of the servicemen or the extent of their injuries.
“The health and welfare of our personnel is a top priority and we will not discuss any individual's medical status,” he said, noting that the servicemen are expected to return to duty following additional screening.
The base in Iraqi Kurdistan found itself under fire from two volleys of ballistic missiles launched from Iran after a US drone strike near Baghdad on January 3 killed Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, the elite Quds Force commander who played a major role in beating Islamic State terrorists in both Syria and Iraq. His assassination has inflamed tensions between Washington and Tehran, and drew a harsh rebuke from Baghdad, prompting the Iraqi Parliament to pass a resolution ordering US troops to leave the country.
Also on rt.com Satellite images show MINOR but PINPOINT damage to US-Iraqi bases from Iranian missile attack, suggesting limited show of forceImmediately after the attack by Iran, which was reported to have incurred extensive but pinpointed damage on the facility and resulted in no casualties, US President Donald Trump declared that “all is well,” with the Pentagon likewise saying that early warning systems at the base alerted the troops, who wasted no time in seeking shelter.
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