34 troops diagnosed with brain injuries days after Trump dismissed them as 'headaches'

The Pentagon on Friday said 34 U.S. troops have been diagnosed with concussions or traumatic brain injury following an Iranian missile attack this month, more than triple the number originally reported and coming just days after President Donald Trump downplayed the injuries as “headaches.”

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman also told reporters that Defense Secretary Mark Esper had ordered the Pentagon’s acting personnel chief, Matt Donovan, to review the department’s procedures for tracking and reporting injuries.

Trump initially said no one was harmed during the Jan. 8 Iranian ballistic missile attack on bases in Iraq that house U.S. troops, which followed the U.S. killing of a top Iranian military commander.

The military last week said it had conducted follow-on screenings and that the number of troops who were pulled out of Iraq for brain injury treatment was 11. On Friday, Hoffman told reporters that, of the 34 troops diagnosed with brain injuries, 17 have returned to duty, including one service member who was transferred to Kuwait for treatment.

Eight service members have been transferred to the U.S. for treatment after initially being sent to Germany. Nine are still undergoing treatment and evaluation in Germany.