WASHINGTON: One more US personnel suffered minor injuries on Friday during the recent wave of assaults against American troops in Syria and Iraq, US officials said.
Reuters reported that as many as 60 US personnel have suffered injuries, frequently traumatic brain injuries, since Oct. 17. It further said that all injured personnel who were injured have returned to duty.
Two US officials and Iraqi Kurdistan officials stated that on Friday alone, American troops in Iraq and Syria were targeted three times. One of the officials told the Reuters on the condition of anonymity that a drone strike in Tal Baydar in Syria wounded the service member, who swiftly returned to duty.
US Personnel Wounded in Iraq, Syria
Drones also targeted personnel at two locations in Iraq that host US forces, Al-Harir air base and at Al-Asad base, the official added, but did not cause any casualties.
Earlier, the Pentagon confirmed that the US forces deployed in Syria and Iraq were attacked around 55 times during the past month, causing minor injuries to several of US personnel.
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The US blamed the spike in the current wave of violence on a militant group and carried out attacks on sites in Syria. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said that since October 17 till today, they were tracking that there have been about 55 attacks on US troops. There have been around 27 assaults against US troops in Iraq and about 28 attacks in Syria,” Sabrina Singh added. According to Sabrina Singh as many as 59 US personnel were injured in these attacks.
There are about 2,500 US troops in Iraq and some 900 personnel in Syria as part of efforts to strop a resurgence of the Daesh militant group. The militants once held significant area in both countries but were pushed back by local forces supported by international air strikes.
