Eleven U.S. troops were injured when Iranian ballistic missiles struck two Iraqi bases last week, the military confirmed Thursday. The statement is in direct contradiction to earlier claims by President Trump, who posted on Twitter the morning after the Jan. 8 strikes: “No Americans were harmed in last night’s attack by the Iranian regime.” The strikes on the two Iraqi bases, which house U.S. troops, were launched in retaliation for the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike ordered by Trump. Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for United States Central Command, said in a statement reported by The New York Times: “While no U.S. servicemembers were killed in the Jan. 8 Iranian attack on Al Asad air base, several were treated for concussion symptoms from the blast and are still being assessed.” Captain Urban went on to say that the injured troops had been taken to U.S. military sites in Germany and Kuwait to undergo medical screening, but are likely to return to Iraq after recovery.
