The balance of the Iranian attack on a base sheltering American soldiers in Iraq at the beginning of January rose to 109 wounded Americans, 45 more than announced at the end of January, according to a new assessment of the Pentagon. Of the 109 soldiers who suffer from "mild concussion" , 76, or nearly 70% have returned to their units, the US Department of Defense said in a statement released on Monday. Among the others, 27 were evacuated to a US military hospital in Germany for further examination, 6 more than at the end of January. 21 of them have been repatriated to the United States, 5 are still under examination and one has returned to service in Iraq. In addition, seven soldiers are "on evacuation to Germany," the statement said.
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Tehran launched missiles against two bases on the night of January 7-8, sheltering some of the 5,200 American soldiers stationed in Iraq, in retaliation for the death of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in an American operation. After the attack, Donald Trump claimed that no American was injured. When questioned during the first announcements of concussions last month, the American president, who seeks to avoid any military escalation with Iran, had once again downplayed the extent of it. "I heard they had a headache , " he said. "I don't consider it serious injury."
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His Democratic opponents then accused him of lying and disrespecting the injured soldiers. "We are grateful for the efforts of our medical staff who have worked hard to provide the proper care for our military personnel, which has enabled 70% of them to return to service," said Pentagon spokesperson Alyssa. Farah, cited in the press release. "We must continue to ensure their physical and mental health," she added.
