US could lose 100-150 personnel in Ain Asad base: cmdr.

TEHRAN, Feb. 27 (MNA) – A top US military commander says without the evacuation of Ain Al Asad Airbase in Iraq, the US might have lost 20 or 30 airplanes and 100 to 150 personnel due to the IRGC attack in January 2020.

Iran launched the attack in retaliation for an American drone strike that martyred IRGC Lt. General Qassem Soleimani. 

According to CBS News, recalling that night, the US General Frank McKenzie said: "Things are happening that could take us to war if we don't make the correct move here." 

McKenzie says that then-President Trump ordered the strike on martyr Soleimani.

McKenzie says he had enough time to evacuate the base of 1,000 troops and 50 aircraft. McKenzie says without the evacuation, "I think we might have lost 20 or 30 airplanes and we'd have lost 100 to 150 US personnel." 

Iran fired a total of 16 missiles – five missed and 11 struck Al Asad.

"It was an attack certainly like nothing I've ever seen or experienced… Their missiles are accurate," McKenzie says.  "They hit pretty much where they wanted to hit." 

There was reportedly no defense against the missiles for the troops who remained at the base except to take cover. 

More than 100 of the troops who rode out the attack at Al Asad that night were diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury from the blasts, the same report confirmed.


News Code 170439


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