Eight US Marines were injured two weeks ago when an Iranian anti-ship cruise missile struck a vessel they were operating on in the Strait of Hormuz, NBC News reported Sunday, citing three US officials.
The report said the Marines were not seriously injured but suffered smoke inhalation and possible traumatic brain injuries after experiencing concussion-like symptoms, including headaches.
Seven of the Marines were enlisted personnel, while the eighth was an officer. All eight returned to duty shortly after the Sept. 14 attack, according to the officials.
The Marines were operating as part of a battalion landing team when the Iranian missile struck the vessel, they said.
The officials said the vessel was not a US Navy ship but declined to specify its type, referring to it only as a maritime vessel.
The Pentagon has faced growing scrutiny over casualty figures since the US-Israel war with Iran began in February, with the number of injured and killed troops subject to changes in reporting and classification.
As of Wednesday, the Pentagon's Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) had recorded 861 US service members as injured in the conflict.
The eight Marines were added to the database nearly 10 days after the Sept. 14 attack, while a US official attributed delays in reporting to symptoms that may appear later and the system's lack of real-time updates.
