US military death toll in conflict with Iran reaches 19

Information has appeared in the Pentagon's public database about the death of another American military man, bringing the number of military personnel killed during the conflict with Iran to 19. The Washington Post (WP) writes about this.

We are talking about 37-year-old US Army Captain Bianca Wilkerson. She died on September 18 as a result of a non-combat incident—during a flight to the Middle East, her health deteriorated sharply. After her death, she was promoted to the rank of major. Wilkerson was assigned to Shaw Base in South Carolina and supported overseas operations in Doha.

According to the newspaper, before the base renovation, the Pentagon officially reported 18 military deaths and more than 820 wounded since the start of hostilities. There are now 14 deaths in the database as part of Operation Epic Fury and another five in the category of overseas operations.

WP says the actual death toll may be higher than the official one, with five of the publication's sources among U.S. officials reporting at least 22 military personnel have died in the Middle East since the war began on February 28. Another source spoke of 23 dead. However, not all cases were directly related to military operations against Iran.

In August, the Pentagon discussed the possibility of reducing the United States presence in the Middle East, as Iranian attacks on American targets exposed the vulnerabilities of these military bases. Options considered were moving troops west toward Jordan, Israel or Saudi Arabia, rather than rebuilding damaged facilities. The military department never made a final decision.