The Pentagon said Friday that 34 U.S. troops were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries suffered in this month’s Iranian missile strike on an Iraqi air base, and that half of the troops have returned to their military duties. Seventeen of the 34 are still under medical observation, according to Jonathan Hoffman, the chief Pentagon spokesman. President Trump had initially said he was told that no troops had been injured in the Jan. 8 strike. The strike was launched in retaliation for a U.S. drone missile strike that killed Qassem Suleimani, the most powerful military general in Iran, on Jan. 3 at Baghdad International Airport. Some members of Congress this week pressed the Pentagon for more clarity on the scope of the TBI cases resulting from the Iranian attack.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 24, 2020 17:43 UTC