Pentagon conceals true US death toll in Iran
Shafaq News- Washington
More US service members have died in the Middle East during the ongoing Iran war than the Pentagon has publicly disclosed, The Washington Post reported on Saturday.
At least 22 military fatalities have been recorded, according to five US officials familiar with the War Department's internal casualty accounting data. That is four more than the 18 US military fatalities listed in the Pentagon's public database, known as the Defense Casualty Analysis System, or DCAS.
A sixth US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, put the number of service members who have died since Feb. 28 at 23. The official noted that not all of the deaths were directly linked to the conflict, but involved US personnel who were in the Middle East amid the ongoing hostilities.
Details surrounding the undisclosed deaths, including the identities of the service members and when, how and where they died, remain unclear.
More than 820 US service members have also been wounded since the Iran conflict began, according to the Pentagon's database.
Accurate accounting of military fatalities carries implications beyond public transparency. Whenever a US service member dies, the military conducts a line-of-duty investigation to determine whether the death occurred while the person was performing official duties. The findings can affect the survivor benefits available to the service member's family, adding to the overall cost of the war.
US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US military operations in the Middle East, has estimated that Operation Epic Fury, the US name for the Iran war, has cost about $43.6 billion through early September. The estimate includes $28 billion in munitions expended during the conflict but does not account for damage to US bases.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump said the war with Iran was nearing its end and that Tehran "desperately" wanted an agreement, arguing that it is "losing in every way" financially and militarily.
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