34 U.S. service members diagnosed with brain injuries after Iran attack

(nbcnews) — Thirty-four U.S. service members were diagnosed with concussions and traumatic brain injuries following Iranian airstrikes on the Ain al-Asad Air Base in Iraq earlier this month, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman said Friday.

Iran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi air bases on Jan. 8 in retaliation for the U.S. killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, an influential and powerful Iranian military commander.

Jonathan Hoffman, the Pentagon spokesman, confirmed Friday that eight of the U.S. service members who received diagnoses were transported to a hospital in Germany and then taken back to the United States, where they will receive treatment at the Walter Reed Medical Center. He said another nine were still in Germany.