Donald Trump accused of ‘disgusting’ Iran cover-up as dozens of US soldiers hurt

More than 30 US troops suffered traumatic brain injuries or concussions during an attack on the Ain al-Asad base on January 8.

Democrats, including presidential candidate Joe Biden, have accused Mr Trump of lying about about the injuries.

Shortly after the attack, Mr Trump tweeted “All is well!” before adding “So far, so good” regarding casualties.

Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman revealed 34 service members have been diagnosed with brain injuries. Eight have been flown to the United States for medical care, while nine remain hospitalised in Germany.

Seventeen have returned to duty in Iraq.

Mr Hoffman said: “The goal is to be as transparent and accurate as possible to provide the American people with the best information about the tremendous sacrifices our warfighters make.”

Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden accused Mr Trump of dismissing the severity of the injuries.

He said: “Donald Trump brought us to the brink of war — then dismissed the injuries as ‘headaches’.

“The idea that the commander-in-chief would take this lightly is disgusting.”

Florida congresswoman Debbie Schultz added: “Though he downplays these injuries, roughly half of all TBIs require surgery and can lead to lifelong disabilities.

“Calling TBIs a ‘headache’ is like calling PTSD ‘a case of the Mondays’.”

Jack Reed, a senator and Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee has called on Mr Trump to apologise.

He said: “He may not have meant to disrespect them, but President Trump’s comments were an insult to our troops.

“The United States military has invested considerably in education our personnel about the signs and dangers of TBI, the need to take it seriously, and lift the stigma.

A prominent veterans advocacy group has also backed calls for an apology.

In a statement, Veterans of Foreign Wars said the President’s remarks “minimised these troops’ injuries” which “cannot be taken lightly”.

The airbase, one of the largest in Iraq, was targeted in retaliation for the US killing of top Iranian general Qassim Soleimani at the beginning of January.

The airbase houses approximately 1,500 American and coalition forces.

Iranian propaganda outlets claimed at the time “80 soldiers” from US forces had been killed, but there was no evidence to support this.

Tensions have been steadily rising in the Middle East after President Trump withdrew America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.

The killing of Qassim Soleimani and the attack on the US airbase are the first time America and Iran have attacked each other directly, rather than through proxies in the region.

source: express.co.uk