Pentagon Reports 13 US Troops Killed and Over 360 Injured in Iran Conflict

The Pentagon has reported that 13 United States military personnel have been killed since the start of the ongoing conflict in Iran. At least 365 others have been injured during the same period, according to a statement issued on Friday, reported by Middle East Eye.

The injured personnel come from multiple branches of the US military, including 247 from the Army, 63 from the Navy, 19 from the Marine Corps, and 36 from the Air Force. It is unclear whether these numbers include casualties from the two fighter jets that were downed on the same day.

Meanwhile, US special forces have been conducting a high-risk search-and-rescue operation inside Iran to recover the crew members of a downed US fighter jet. The operation began Friday night after one US aircraft was shot down in Iranian airspace.

According to BBC News, the pilot of the downed F-15 fighter jet has already been rescued, but the second crew member remains missing.

CBS News reported that a challenging recovery mission is underway deep inside Iranian territory to locate the remaining crew member.

Two US officials indicated that while attempting to rescue one of the F-15 pilots, two additional US aircraft came under attack by Iranian forces. During the engagement, the pilot of an A-10 Warthog had to eject into the sea and was later rescued.

In addition, small arms fire hit one of the two helicopters involved in the rescue operation, injuring several crew members. The helicopter was able to land safely. The search for the second F-15 pilot is still ongoing.