How many US troops have been injured in the Iran war? What to know
The number of American troops injured in the Iran war has climbed to 200, 60 more than the total the Pentagon last announced six days ago, according to Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command.
Ten service members are currently seriously wounded, Hawkins said. The vast majority suffered minor injuries, and more than 180 of them have returned to duty, he said.
After the United States and Israel launched attacks Feb. 28, Iran retaliated with an ongoing barrage of drone and missile attacks at U.S. allies across the region and the American military bases they host.
The number of American troops killed in the war reached 13 after a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq on March 12, killing its six occupants.
Three of the soldiers on board were from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida: Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky. Three were from Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus Ohio: Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio.
The other seven servicemembers were killed in Iran’s attacks on U.S. bases. Six soldiers were killed in a drone attack in Kuwait: Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa; Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Waukee, Iowa; and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California. All were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines, Iowa.
Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky, was killed in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. He was assigned to the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, based in Fort Carson, Colorado, according to the Pentagon.
Family members of the soldiers killed in the KC-135 crash criticized the Iran war in interviews over the weekend. “This could have been prevented,” Stephan Douglas, a cousin of Simmons, the 28-year-old tech sergeant killed, told WCMH, an NBC affiliate in Columbus, Ohio. “We didn’t need to be in this war. This is uncalled for, and this is what we get.”
As the war continues into its third week, approximately 2,000 people have been killed across the Middle East, including at least 1,330 Iranians, according to the country’s ambassador to the United Nations. Israel has intensified its attacks on Lebanon, killing at least 800 people. Nine Israelis were killed in an Iranian missile strike, and two of the country’s soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon, according to Reuters.
