WASHINGTON – American troops in Iraq and Syria were targeted in seven more attacks over the weekend as the US increased its military presence in the region as the Israel-Hamas war raged.
“Since Oct. 17 Eastern Time, we’ve conducted 20 strikes in Iraq, 18 in Syria — a total of 38 of these, you know, basically what disrupts drone and rocket strikes,” Pentagon Press Secretary Patrick Ryder told reporters Monday.
The total of 38 attacks was up from Friday afternoon, when the figure was 31, according to the Pentagon.
Although Ryder said no one was reported injured in the weekend attack, more troops have recently come forward with injuries from previous incidents.
Those newly reported injured include five Americans diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries at the Al-Tanf military base in Syria, the representative said, bringing the total there to 20 so far.
“We also have 10 additional staff at Al-Tanf who have been confirmed to have other minor injuries,” he said. “These could be things like splinters, headaches, perforated eardrums, tinnitus, rolled ankles, etc.”
The newly reported injuries bring the total number of soldiers injured in attacks in the region to 45 since the first attack on October 17.
US Air Force Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder speaks during a media briefing at the Pentagon, Thursday, Nov. 2. 2023.AP
It’s not unusual for injury rates to spike in the days and weeks after an attack “for a number of reasons,” Ryder explained.
“Individuals who initially reject the severity of their injuries from either direct or indirect blasts may delay reporting or seek treatment, or symptoms that appear after the initial report may cause staff to seek treatment later,” he said.
Warplanes launch an airstrike on the city of Idlib in northwestern Syria on October 14, 2023.Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Ain al-Asad military airbase in Anbar province, western Iraq. AFP via Getty Images
“Thus, reporting data relies heavily on self-reporting when individual injuries are not visually apparent to medical personnel providing direct care after the incident,” he added.
At the Al-Asad military base in Iraq, there were an additional nine soldiers who had reported “other minor injuries” but there was no increase in the number of traumatic brain injury cases, which remained at four overall.
“There was one other injury that was diagnosed – a minor injury in Erbil [military base in Iraq] – following the attack there on October 26,” Ryder said.
Map of US bases that have been attacked. NY Post composite
The new attacks came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken toured the war-torn Middle East, stopping in the West Bank, Iraq and occupied Turkey from Sunday to Monday.
President Biden held an emergency call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to drive home some of the points Blinken had been pushing for, including a “humanitarian pause” in Israel’s offensive against the Palestinian terror group Hamas.
“[Biden and Netanyahu] discussing possible tactical pauses to allow civilians the opportunity to safely depart from areas of ongoing combat, to ensure aid reaches civilians in need, and to allow for the release of potential hostages,” the White House said in a statement afterward.
President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an emergency phone call on Monday.Getty Images
“The president also discussed the situation in the West Bank and the need to hold extremist settlers accountable for acts of violence,” the Biden administration said.
Israel has refused a pause in its attacks until all the hostages taken by Hamas during the brutal October 7 attack on the Jewish state are released.
More than 1,400 Israelis died in the slaughter. Palestinian leaders say more than 9,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s retaliation.
The development comes as the US ramps up its forces in the Middle East, notably sending a nuclear-capable Ohio-class submarine to the region Sunday, with the US Central Command boldly announcing its presence there in a post to X that day.
24 soldiers were injured in an attack on a US base in Iraq, Syria. NY Post composite
On the same day, CENTCOM also announced a bomber task force was sent to the Middle East, “demonstrating the US military’s ability to respond to crises and contingencies across theaters,” he said in another post to X.
The Defense Department rarely reports on active or future movements by American submarines, as subordinate forces – dubbed the “stealth service” – thrive on the platform’s ability to move without enemy detection.
The Navy also operated two aircraft carriers – the USS Gerald R. Ford and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower – and their strike groups in the eastern Mediterranean Sea over the weekend. Each aircraft carrier has a crew of about 5,000 sailors.
The new deployment to the region is intended to “further support our deterrence efforts in the region,” Ryder said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
