Trump Again Downplays Severity Of Troops’ Head Injuries As Total Number Of Cases Shoots Up To 109

The New York Times: More Than 100 Troops Have Brain Injuries From Iran Missile Strike, Pentagon Says
More than 100 American service members have traumatic brain injuries from Iranian airstrikes on Al Asad Air Base in Iraq in January, the Defense Department said, a number that was more than 50 percent higher than previously disclosed. Of the 109 troops who have been diagnosed with brain injuries, 76 had returned to duty, officials said Monday. (Zaveri, 2/10)

The Associated Press: Pentagon: 109 Troops Suffer Brain Injuries From Iran Strike
The number of injuries has been steadily increasing since the Pentagon began releasing data on the injuries about a week after the Jan. 8 attack at al-Asad Air Base in Iraq. Pentagon officials have warned that the number would continue to change. The department said 76 of the service members have returned to duty, while 26 are in Germany or the United States for treatment, and another seven are on their way from Iraq to Germany for evaluation and treatment. (Baldor, 2/10)

NBC News: Number Of U.S. Troops With Brain Injuries From Iranian Missile Attacks Now 109
Dozens more U.S. service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries following last month’s Iranian missile attacks that targeted American forces at two Iraqi bases, the Defense Department said Monday, bringing the total to 109. Of those, 76 patients have since been returned to duty, the Pentagon said in a statement. There were 45 more cases since the department’s last report, and all 109 patients have been diagnosed with what it called “mild traumatic brain injury.” “This is a snapshot in time and numbers can change,” the Defense Department said.Iran launched ballistic missiles against the two Iraqi bases on Jan. 8 in retaliation for the United States’ killing of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, in a drone operation outside Baghdad’s airport. In late January the Pentagon had reported a total of 64 cases. (Gains and Helsel, 2/10)

Bloomberg: Trump Downplays Brain Injuries In Iran Attack With Toll At 109
President Donald Trump again downplayed the severity of head injuries suffered by U.S. troops during an Iranian missile attack, as the injury total rose to 109. Trump spoke to Fox Business in an interview Monday, after the Defense Department said that 109 U.S. service members, or 45 more than previously disclosed, had been diagnosed with a “mild traumatic brain injury” after the Jan. 8 Iranian strike on the Al Asad airbase in Iraq. That strike was in retaliation for the U.S. killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, an act Trump has regularly touted on the campaign trail. “They landed in a way that didn’t hit anybody,” Trump said of Iran’s missile strike. “And so when they came in and told me that nobody was killed, I was impressed by that and, you know, I stopped something that would have been very devastating for them.” He didn’t specify what he stopped. He said he later found out that there were “head trauma” injuries. Trump last month described the injuries as “headaches” and said he didn’t consider them similar to other injuries, such as losing a limb. He echoed that sentiment on Monday. (Wingrove, 2/10)