US Lies Regarding Ain Al-Assad Exposed: Number of Injured Soldiers on the Rise

By Staff, Agencies

At least 11 soldiers were injured in an Iranian missile attack on an Iraqi base where American troops were deployed, US Central Command [CENTCOM] said Thursday, although the US military had previously maintained there were no casualties.

"While no US service members were killed in the Jan. 8 Iranian attack on Ain al-Assad Air base, several were treated for concussion symptoms from the blast and are still being assessed," US Central Command spokesman Captain Bill Urban said in a statement.

To add insult to injury, the Washington Post had previously reported that at least two soldiers were thrown through the window of a meters-high tower, and several dozen US troops were later treated for concussion as a result of the missile strikes, military officials on the base said.

"These were designed and organized to inflict as many casualties as possible," said Lt. Col. Tim Garland, commander of Task Force Jazeera and one of the most senior officials on the base that day.

Another military official, Lt. Col. Staci Coleman, who oversees airfield operations, described the absence of serious injuries as "miraculous”, as reported by the WP.

At the time of the attack, most of the 1,500 US soldiers at the base had been tucked away in bunkers, after advance warning from superiors.

The strike caused significant material damage but no casualties, according to previous reports from the US military.

US President Donald Trump also said on the morning following the volley that "no American were harmed in last night's attack."

However, Urban said that "in the days following the attack, out of an abundance of caution, some service members were transported from al-Assad Air Base."

"At this time, eight individuals have been transported to Landstuhl, and three have been transported to Camp Arifjan," he said, referring to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.

"When deemed fit for duty, the service members are expected to return to Iraq following screening," Urban said.