Quiet change to Pentagon website adds 142 wounded US service members to the Iran war casualty count - EUROPE SAYS
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Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read moreThe Pentagon acknowledged an additional 142 service memberswounded in President Donald Trump’s Iran warby quietly adding a new category to its online database of U. S. military casualties, according to reports Sunday. The change also resulted in therestoration of four fatalitiesthat had beenremoved from the Defense Casualty Analysis System, triggering outrage among military families, veterans and lawmakers. The new category, titled “Overseas Operations,” tallies casualties inflicted by Iran since July 7, when fighting resumed following a fragile ceasefire that began April 8. They include the deaths of First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, Sergeant Angel S. Rampersad, Private Isabella Gonzales and Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton, according toCBS News. Earlier casualties are listed in a category called “Operation Epic Fury,” the name given to the war Trump launched without congressional authorization on Feb. 28. Outgoing Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky has called it an “absurd ruse” to separate the war’s casualties by date. A quiet change to the Pentagon website added 142 injuries to the Iran war casualty count and restored four deaths that had been removed (AFP/Getty)“The Pentagon is pretending there have been two Iran wars separated by a brief cease-fire,” he wrote on social media Thursday. Spokespersons for the Pentagon and the White House didn’t immediately respond Sunday night to inquiries from The Independent. On July 20,The New York Timesreported that the Pentagon had withheld dozens of U. S. military injuries from three Iranian attacks against American forces in the country earlier in the month. The Times said it learned about the Iranian strikes, which also damaged several American helicopters, from U. S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. Following publication of the report, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, said on social media that nearly 100 service members had “some degree of injury since July 7,” with 96 percent having returned to duty. “The vast majority of injuries experienced were minor concussions. Further updates will be posted on the Defense Casualty Analysis System,” Parnell wrote. CBS News noted Sunday that minor concussions can include traumatic brain injuries that don’t immediately result in symptoms. Combining the numbers listed on the site’s pages for Operation Epic Fury and Overseas Operations shows that there have been a total of 18 service members killed and 624 wounded. The Pentagon had previously acknowledged only 482 injuries, according toThe Guardian.