AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The Washington Post, in an exclusive report, reported a discrepancy between the Pentagon's internal and public statistics regarding US military casualties in the war with Iran and wrote that the real number of US military deaths is higher than the figure announced on the official database of the country's Department of War.
The newspaper, citing six US officials aware of the Department of War's internal data, reported that since the start of the conflicts on February 28, at least 22 US military personnel have lost their lives; a figure four more than the number recorded in the Pentagon's public database, the "Defense Casualty Analysis System" (DCAS).
According to this report, another official has put the number of US military casualties at 23. He also said that three American contractors stationed in the region have also lost their lives since the start of military operations.
In contrast, the Pentagon's public casualty database had recorded 18 US military deaths as of Friday. The Washington Post emphasized that this statistical discrepancy is not limited to one figure, and details related to some additional casualties, including the identity of the victims, the time, place, and manner of their deaths, remain unclear.
Officials aware of the higher casualty figures have expressed concern about these cases not being recorded in the Pentagon's public database. The US Department of War has also refused to respond to the Washington Post's questions about the reason for this discrepancy.
This is not the first time that the manner of recording Iran war casualties in the Pentagon's official system has faced questions and criticism. The Washington Post previously reported that following the resumption of conflicts, four cases of US military deaths were removed from the official casualty database and then recorded in a separate classification titled "Emergency Operations Outside the Borders." The Pentagon at that time attributed this issue to a temporary disruption in data processing.
The new Washington Post report adds that the manner of recording military casualties is not merely a matter of public transparency and can also affect military personnel records, investigations into the manner of their deaths, and survivors' benefits. According to US military regulations, after the death of a military member, an investigation is conducted into whether their death occurred while performing official duties, and the results of this review can be effective in determining certain benefits for their family.
According to the latest Pentagon public statistics cited by the Washington Post, more than 820 US military personnel have also been wounded since the start of the war with Iran. Meanwhile, the dispute over how to record casualties and the costs of the war, alongside the continuation of conflicts, has become one of the topics of attention in the US Congress.
The Washington Post has also reported that in recent months, the manner of announcing and classifying US military casualties has faced criticism in Congress. A number of American lawmakers have called for greater transparency regarding the human and financial costs of the war, and some are also pursuing measures to prevent the alteration or reclassification of data related to military casualties.
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