Iran attack: More US soldiers diagnosed with brain injuries after strike, despite Trump downplaying them

The number of US personnel afflicted with traumatic brain injuries has risen from 34 to 50

US authorities say a total of 50 US service personnel have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) following the Iranian missile attack on their base in Iraq – the latest jump in casualties in an incident Donald Trump originally said had caused no American injuries at all.

The most recent update said the number afflicted with TBI stood at 34 according to a statement from the Department of Defence last week.

TBI can include concussion, and symptoms sometimes only develop over time.

Of the total of 50 injured, 31 were treated in Iraq and have returned to duty, including 15 of the more recently diagnosed.

18 personnel were transferred to Germany for further evaluation and treatment, including one of the new patients.

An additional service member received treatment in Kuwait and has also returned to duty.

This is the third time the number of injured has been updated, and the number is likely to change again.

CNN reports that some 200 people were inside the blast zone of the al-Asad air base at the time of the attack and have been screened for symptoms.

Tehran launched its 8 January strike against US bases in Iraq in retaliation for the killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran's elite Quds Force.

Soleimani was killed by a drone strike outside Baghdad Airport the previous week.

Both the Pentagon and Mr Trump originally said that no one had been injured in Iran's counter attack.

When asked to explain the discrepancy while attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mr Trump said that he had heard “they had headaches, and a couple of other things … it’s not very serious”.

When asked if he didn’t consider traumatic brain injuries as serious, the president said he was told about it days later and deferred to the Department of Defence.

He added: “I don't consider them very serious injuries relative to other injuries that I've seen.”

The group Veterans of Foreign Wars demanded that the president apologise for his remarks.