Report: US military deaths in Middle East exceed Pentagon’s public tally
Officials cited at least 22 deaths since the Iran war began, compared with 18 publicly listed; not all were directly linked to the conflict
At least four more US service members died in the Middle East during the Iran war than the Pentagon publicly acknowledged, The Washington Post reported, citing six US officials familiar with internal Defense Department casualty records.
Five officials put the military death toll at a minimum of 22, while a sixth gave a figure of 23 since US and Israeli forces launched the war on February 28. The Pentagon’s public Defense Casualty Analysis System listed 18 military deaths as of Friday, covering both hostile and nonhostile causes.
The official who cited 23 deaths told the newspaper that some of the unreported fatalities were not directly connected to the war but involved US personnel stationed in the region during the hostilities. The same official said three US contractors based in the Middle East also died after combat operations began.
The Post said it could not establish the identities of the service members whose deaths were absent from the public tally, or the dates, locations and circumstances of their deaths. All six officials spoke anonymously to discuss the internal figures.
Officials familiar with the higher toll expressed frustration over the missing entries, according to the newspaper. The Pentagon declined to answer questions about the discrepancy.