Iran War US Casualties: Why Pentagon Total Shows 18 While Officials Say 22-23 | Today’s news
More U.S. service members may have died in the Middle East during the ongoing war in Iran than the Pentagon has publicly disclosed, according to a Washington Post report citing six U.S. officials familiar with internal Defense Department casualty figures.
The irregularities center on the Pentagon’s Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS), a public database used to report the deaths and injuries of US soldiers.
How many American soldiers died?
As of September 18, the Pentagon’s public database listed 18 casualties of US military forces since the start of the Iran conflict.
However, five of six officials cited by The Washington Post said at least 22 service members had died. A sixth official put the number at 23.
The higher number does not necessarily mean that all of these additional deaths occurred in combat or were directly caused by Iranian attacks. According to the official, some involved US personnel who were in the middle of hostilities in the Middle East but whose deaths were not directly linked to the conflict.
Three US contractors based in the region have also reportedly died since combat operations began.
Why does the Pentagon database show fewer deaths?
Part of the discrepancy relates to how the Pentagon categorizes military deaths.
Of the 18 casualties currently displayed in DCAS, 14 are listed under Operation Epic Fury, the administration’s name for the war in Iran. Four others are listed in a separate category of Overseas Operations associated with combat, which were resumed after the July Armistice.
The Pentagon had previously moved four deaths from Iran’s war tally to a separate overseas operations category after renewed fighting began. The Pentagon said the separate category was created because Operation Epic Fury ended.
The Post’s latest report raises questions about whether the public database captures all military deaths involving U.S. personnel deployed in the region.
Two deaths illustrate the complexity
The Pentagon separately recognized two U.S. service members who died in the Middle East since February while serving on missions that were not officially part of the Iran war.
Sgt. Devin Seibel died in a training accident in Irbil, Iraq on May 31. He was assigned to Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led mission against Islamic State militants. His name does not appear in the relevant Inherent Resolve record in DCAS.
May. Sorffly Davius died in Kuwait on March 6 after an unspecified medical emergency. It was deployed as part of Operation Spartan Shield, a mission involving military cooperation with regional partners. It remains unclear whether his death was related to the Iranian attack.
Why does the exact number of deaths matter?
This issue goes beyond public statistics.
When a service member dies, the military conducts an investigation to determine whether the death occurred while the person was performing official duties. These determinations may affect survivor benefits available to the service member’s family.
The identities and circumstances surrounding the other deaths cited by the six officials have not been released, so the exact breakdown is unclear.
The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon declined to address questions about the discrepancy.
What is confirmed and what remains unclear?
More than 820 American soldiers were wounded
The death toll goes far beyond the fatal. A public Pentagon database shows more than 820 U.S. service members wounded in action since the conflict began.
Read also | Has the US committed war crimes in Iran? Here’s what the UN report found
