The Pentagon has released updated casualty figures showing 18 American soldiers killed and 624 wounded since the start of the conflict with Iran.
Washington, United States – Web Desk: The US Department of Defense has released its latest report on American military casualties in the ongoing conflict with Iran, confirming that 18 US soldiers have been killed and 624 wounded since the war began.
The Pentagon updated its Defense Casualty Analysis System on Saturday, adding more than 140 additional wounded personnel to the official record. The update also saw four American soldiers killed in recent Iranian attacks reinstated to the official casualty list.
According to US media reports, the Pentagon has introduced a new category in its records titled “Overseas Operations,” under which personnel killed or wounded in overseas military actions since July 7 are being tracked separately from the main combat casualty list.
When figures from this new category are combined with records from Operation Epic Fury, the overall total since the war against Iran began on February 28 stands at 18 American soldiers killed and 624 wounded, the report said.
Of those killed, 11 belonged to the US Army, six to the US Air Force, and one to the US Navy, according to the Pentagon’s latest figures. Among the wounded, 461 were from the Army, 86 from the Navy, 58 from the Air Force, and 19 from the Marine Corps.
US media outlets and some lawmakers had previously criticized the Pentagon after official records appeared to understate the number of Americans killed and wounded despite continued Iranian attacks. The newly created “Overseas Operations” category accounts for losses recorded after July 7, though it does not specify which particular military operation or conflict each individual incident is linked to.
Names included in the report indicate that the casualties include three US soldiers killed during an Iranian attack in Jordan, along with one soldier killed during an operation to neutralize an Iranian drone in northern Iraq.
Defense analysts say the updated figures indicate that the human and military toll of the ongoing operations against Iran continues to grow more serious, even as tensions in the region remain unresolved. The Pentagon has not indicated whether further revisions to the casualty figures are expected in the coming weeks.
