National Defense

Dozens Of American Soldiers Severely Wounded In Iran Strike, One Requiring Limb Amputation: REPORT

(U.S. Air Force photo)

The recent Iranian drone attack in Kuwait that killed six American service members and wounded others was actually much more severe than was previously disclosed, CBS News reported Tuesday.

The Iranian drone strike hit a fortified tactical operations center in Kuwait’s Port Shuaiba on March 1, just days after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28. Dozens of American service members sustained severe injuries from the drone strike in Kuwait, including brain trauma, shrapnel wounds and burns, CBS News reported, citing multiple anonymous sources. At least one of them needed to have one of their limbs amputated, according to the outlet.

Sources told CBS News that over 30 U.S. military members were still hospitalized as of Tuesday night with injuries from the attack in Kuwait, with one being hospitalized at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, 12 at Walter Reed Medical Center outside of Washington, D.C., and around 25 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

Roughly 20 of the wounded military members arrived at Landstuhl on Tuesday aboard a C-17 military transport aircraft with injuries that the U.S. military categorized as “urgent” and requiring evacuation, such as traumatic brain injuries, memory loss and concussions. Over 100 medical personnel were dispatched to Landstuhl to help out, the outlet reported.

When reached for comment, a Department of War (DOW) spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation that “the incident is under investigation.”

DOW officials originally had not clarified how many U.S. service members had been hurt during the attack in Kuwait, but confirmed on March 1 that five were seriously injured, adding that “several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions,” CBS News reported. Two of the U.S. service members were initially missing after the drone strike and were later discovered under the rubble, sources familiar told the outlet.

On Saturday, the bodies of the six U.S. service members killed by the Iranian drone strike in Kuwait were brought home for a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. President Donald Trump attended the transfer alongside the families of the fallen service members, saying witnessing it was “the toughest thing I have to do” as president, NBC Montana reported.

Lt. Gen. Robert Harter, chief of the Army Reserve, said in a March 3 statement in response to the unmanned aircraft system attack in Kuwait that “we honor our fallen Heroes, who served fearlessly and selflessly in defense of our nation.”

“Their sacrifice, and the sacrifices of their families, will never be forgotten,” Harter continued.