In a separate statement on Wednesday, US Central Command said that more troops had been flown out of Iraq to Germany for medical evaluations following Iran’s January 8 missile attack on the base where US forces were stationed after announcing the 11 injuries last week, according to Reuters.
Further injuries may be identified in the future, it added, without giving further details.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said about a dozen troops were being transported to Germany.
Trump and other top officials initially said Iran’s attack had not killed or injured any US service members before the Pentagon reversed course on Thursday, saying 11 US troops had been treated for concussion symptoms after the attack on the Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq.
On Wednesday, Trump declined to explain the discrepancy.
“I heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things, but I would say and I can report it is not very serious,” Trump told a news conference in Davos, Switzerland.
Asked whether he considered traumatic brain injury to be serious, Trump said: “They told me about it numerous days later. You’d have to ask the Department of Defense.”
Pentagon officials have said there had been no effort to minimize or delay information on concussive injuries, but its handling of the injuries following Tehran’s attack has renewed questions over the US military’s policy regarding how it handles suspected brain injuries.
While the US military has to immediately report incidents threatening life, limb or eyesight, it does not have an urgent requirement to do so with suspected traumatic brain injury, or TBI, which can take time to manifest and diagnose.
“I don’t consider them very serious injuries relative to other injuries I have seen,” Trump said. “I’ve seen people with no legs and no arms.”
Various health and medial groups for years have been trying to raise awareness about the seriousness of brain injuries, including concussions.
Such injury can cause symptoms such as memory problems, headaches, and sensitivity to light. Mood changes and possible links to mental illness are also concerns.
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