00:23The Pentagon's public casualty count says 18 U.S. service members have died
00:28since the Iran War began, but a new Washington Post report says the real number could be
00:34significantly higher. According to five U.S. officials familiar with the Defense Department's
00:40internal casualty data, at least 22 American service members have died since February 28,
00:47four more than the Pentagon's public database currently shows. A sixth official put the number
00:53at 23. The officials spoke anonymously, and the details surrounding the additional deaths,
00:59including identities, locations, and circumstances, have not been publicly disclosed.
01:04The Washington Post also reported that three U.S. contractors based in the region
01:09have died since combat operations began. The Pentagon declined to address the reported discrepancy.
01:16Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, however, strongly rejected the report, calling it a complete lie
01:22and disgusting and fake. Reuters also reported Hegseth's denial. The Pentagon's public defense
01:30casualty analysis system currently lists 14 deaths under Operation Epic Fury and another four under a
01:38separate overseas operations category, bringing the publicly reported total to 18. The Washington Post
01:45says the classification became an issue after fighting resumed following a ceasefire, with later
01:51deaths placed under the separate overseas operations category. There is also a broader question about
01:58service members who died in the Middle East while supporting missions not officially classified as
02:03part of the Iran War. Two publicly identified examples are Major Sorfli Davias, who died in Kuwait in March,
02:12and Sergeant Devin Seibel, who died in Iraq in May during a training incident. Their deaths are not
02:19included in the Iran War tally on the public casualty database, according to the Post. And this is not the
02:25first controversy surrounding the Pentagon's casualty reporting. Earlier this year, four U.S.
02:31service members killed during the conflict were temporarily removed from the public casualty
02:36database, before later appearing under the separate overseas operations category. The Pentagon attributed that
02:43earlier episode to data and classification issues. Meanwhile, the public database says more than 820 U.S.
02:51service members have been wounded since the conflict began, with many suffering traumatic brain
02:57injuries from attacks on U.S. basis.
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