U.S. Military Official Confirms: Death Toll in Military Operations Against Iran Rises, Expecting Greater Casualties

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, March 9 - The U.S. Central Command confirmed on the 8th that a U.S. service member and a member of the National Guard recently died during military operations against Iran. The official death toll acknowledged by the U.S. military has thus risen to 8, and more U.S. casualties are expected in the future.

According to a statement from the U.S. Central Command, the 7th U.S. service member who was killed died on the evening of the 7th after being attacked in Saudi Arabia on March 1. Later on the evening of the 8th, the U.S. Central Command again confirmed via social media that a National Guard member died on the 6th "from a health-related incident while in Kuwait," with the specific cause of death under investigation.

Although the U.S. military did not disclose the identities of the soldiers, according to a report by CBS News on the 8th, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Democratic Mayor of New York City Eric Adams, Governor Kathy Hochul, and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries all confirmed before the U.S. military's announcement that NYPD Officer Soflie Davis was involved in supporting military operations against Iran, deployed with the 42nd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army National Guard, and died on the 6th due to a medical incident at Camp Blanding in Kuwait.

Additionally, a U.S. government official who requested anonymity disclosed to The Washington Post on the same day that 9 U.S. service members were seriously injured in military operations against Iran, with several others sustaining minor injuries.

The U.S. launched a large-scale military strike against Iran on February 28, previously reporting 6 deaths, all occurring in Kuwait.

U.S. President Trump and other government officials have emphasized multiple times over the past week that more U.S. casualties are expected. On the 8th, Trump told Israeli media that a final decision to end military operations against Iran would be made at the "appropriate time."

Some unnamed U.S. military officials told The New York Times that the "grim" death toll data from the first week of the conflict indicates that Iran was better prepared for this conflict than the Trump administration had anticipated. (Ocean)