Around 750 troops of the United States have been wounded or killed since October 2023 in West Asia, including in the Iran war, which the Pentagon is not willing to acknowledge, The Intercept reported.
Under the authority of the Pentagon, which is the headquarters of the US Department of Defence (DoD), the Central Command — or CENTCOM — is actively engaged in a “casualty cover-up,” according to a defence official, who alleged the agency is relaying outdated data and deceptively low figures and even failing to clarify the number of deaths and injuries in the military.
CENTCOM oversees West Asia military operations.
On March 27, an Iranian attack on a Saudi Arabian air base wounded at least 15 US troops, and several hundred US personnel have been killed or injured in the region since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran a month ago.
When the first group of American soldiers was killed in the war, President Donald Trump, donning a ball cap, blue suit and red tie, said such casualties were an inevitable part of the war.
“When you have conflicts like this, you always have death,” he said. “I met the parents and they were unbelievable people. They were unbelievable people, but they all had one thing in common. They said to me one thing, every single one: Finish the job, sir. Please finish the job,” Trump said.
Trump has repeatedly claimed to end the war with Iran, despite not achieving many of his claims made on his personal social media account on TruthSocial, like “taking the oil in Iran,” “freedom for the people of Iran,” and forcing an “unconditional surrender” from Iran.
The President had also boldly said the war would continue “as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!”
In the meantime, CENTCOM has made outdated statements on the number of deaths, resulting in undercounting. A statement from spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said approximately “303 US service members have been wounded” since the “start of Operation Epic Fury.”
According to The Intercept analysis, the comment was three days old and did not include the 15 wounded in the Prince Sultan Air Base attack in Saudi Arabia. The US Command Centre has not provided the exact count of troops who have died in the region since the war began.
“This is, quite obviously, a subject that (War Secretary Pete) Hegseth and the White House want to keep under major wraps,” said the defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Pentagon under Biden sent documents detailing attacks on US bases in West Asia
During the Joe Biden administration, the Pentagon provided details of attacks on US bases in West Asia that stated the type of strike, whether there were any casualties and if there were, how many, the outpost attacked, as well as the cumulative count of attacks categorised by countries.
Comparatively, the numbers sent by the Trump administration not only lack details and clarity, but the current CENTCOM figures also do not include the over 200 sailors receiving treatment for smoke inhalation or others injured due to a fire on a US Navy base.
Military analyst Jennifer Kavanagh told The Intercept that CENTCOM and the White House should be providing accurate and timely information on the costs and casualties involved in this war. “After all, it is American taxpayers who are funding it and US economic prosperity and economic wellbeing that is being undermined by it.”
With Iran retaliating to the US’ relentless attacks, with firing at American bases across the Middle East, CENTCOM is refusing to give even a basic count of the number of bases attacked during the war.
“We have nothing for you,” a spokesperson told The Intercept. The analysis report, however, has found that bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Iraq have all been hit.
On Tuesday, March 31, after over a month into the war, Hegseth said Iran’s ability to retaliate to US strikes would be futile. “Yes, they will still shoot some missiles. But we will shoot them down.” The very next day, authorities from Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar announced either a missile or a drone attack from Iran.
According to government officials, the Iranian attacks have forced the American troops into hiding from their bases to either hotels or office buildings across the region. The defence official speaking to The Intercept was reportedly angered over Hegseth’s Tuesday prayer during a Pentagon press conference. “May god watch over all of them, each day and each night. May his almighty and eternal arms of providence stretch over them and protect them,” Hegseth said.
“Why didn’t Hegseth protect them?” the defense official questioned. “Anyone with a brain knew these attacks were coming.”
Retired general recalls Gulf’s US troops facing attacks
“At that time, we identified a need to protect against this threat, and it has taken far too long for the DoD to respond and provide adequate protection for our deployed troops,” said Retired General Joseph Votel, in reference to attacks during the military campaign against ISIS in 2016.
“It was a known expectation that, if attacked, Iran would retaliate against our bases, installations and forces, and I agree that we should have anticipated and been prepared for this inevitability.”
Votel raised concern over officials shifting to hotels and offices, observing it “could turn normal civilian infrastructure into military targets for the regime.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi had publicly called out the US for using civilian infrastructure in the Gulf as human shields. “US soldiers fled military bases in GCC to hide in hotels and offices,” he wrote on X. “Hotels in the US deny bookings to officers who may endanger customers. GCC hotels should do the same.”
The Washington Post reported on March 2 that an Iranian drone strike at a hotel in Bahrain injured two War Department personnel.
The retired general noted that if the troops are not provided with protection, the operations may be restrained. “I think this really complicates command and control and could affect unit cohesion and effectiveness,” Votel said.
“That said, we may not have many options if we cannot protect the military bases where they would normally be bedded down,” he added.
Before Iran war, US bases targeted by one-way attacks
Before the current conflict with Iran, US military bases in West Asia faced a surge in attacks. Starting in October 2023, following the outbreak of Israel’s war in Gaza, various groups targeted these outposts with suicide drones, rockets and missiles.
Most of these strikes happened throughout 2024, resulting in at least 175 American casualties. This included the deaths of three service members during a drone strike on a base in Jordan known as Tower 22. Dozens of other locations across Iraq and Syria, such as Al-Asad Air Base and the Al-Tanf garrison, were also repeatedly hit.
The analysis report also noted that the casualty statistics exclude contractors, mainly foreigners, who suffer injuries during war. There were almost 12,900 contractors injured in 2024 CENTCOM operations, according to official US statistics.
Over 3,700 of the most severe non-fatal injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, forced people to take more than a week off work. In Iraq, 18 contractors also lost their lives. While these official figures are likely lower than the actual totals, adding even a small portion of known contractor injuries brings the total casualty count for Americans and others on US bases to more than 13,600.
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