An Iranian drone attack in Kuwait, which injured dozens of US soldiers and killed at least six, was more serious than initially reported, The Independent reported.
The soldiers' injuries include brain injuries and burns, and one serviceman may need an amputation. The strike targeting a unit in a civilian port in the Persian Gulf also caused shrapnel wounds.
At least 140 US servicemen have been injured in the first 10 days of the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said. At least 108 service members have returned to duty, and eight are "seriously injured", defense officials told The Independent. More than 30 soldiers remain hospitalized at medical centers in San Antonio, Washington and Germany.
According to Pentagon reports, the US service members killed in the March 1 attack did not have sufficient cover over their heads when the drone crashed into a command center in Kuwait.
The service members killed in the attack were part of a logistics support unit at the port of "Shuaiba", where a triple-wide trailer-type prefabricated structure was protected from ground threats by concrete barriers. But the facility did not have any reinforced protection to deflect or minimize the explosive force.
In a statement on social media, Pentagon spokesman Parnell denied reports that the attack had hit a "makeshift office space" at the facility and said that "every possible measure has been taken to protect our troops - at every level."
The attack killed six U.S. Army Reserve soldiers. Defense Department officials initially did not specify how many were injured in the attack in Kuwait, but later said that five were seriously injured and "several others suffered minor injuries from shrapnel and concussion." Two of the service members went missing after the attack and were later found buried under the rubble.