Pentagon raises Iran war death toll to 21

Two more service members have died in the Middle East as part of the Iran war than previously acknowledged, according to the Department of Defense. The revised death toll was revealed in updates to the Pentagon’s casualty database late on Friday. The Oct. 9 numbers on the Defense Casualty Analysis System were the first update since Sept. 29. The changes include a National Guard officer whose death had been acknowledged but not counted in the Iran war and an enlisted sailor who died last month. Both were non-hostile deaths, according to DCAS.

The revised figures include the addition of New York Army National Guard Maj. Sorffly Davius, who died from a medical emergency on March 6 while deployed to Camp Buehring in Kuwait. The military had announced Davius’ death when it happened, although he had not been added to the casualty list before, even under the non-hostile category.

The military has not identified the service member who died in September, but according to DCAS, the deceased was an enlisted woman in the Navy between the ages of 25-30. The cause of death is listed as pending.

The military had previously confirmed two deaths, Davius among them, that happened in the Middle East but were on missions unrelated to the war with Iran. The other confirmed death was an Army noncommissioned officer who died in a training accident while participating in Operation Inherent Resolve. 

The way the Pentagon has reported casualties from the war has been a subject of ongoing criticism, with shifting figures and categories. This summer the Pentagon split deaths and injuries in the war into two separate categories: one for Operation Epic Fury and one listed as “overseas operations,” covering casualties since July.

The Washington Post, which first reported on the additions to the death toll, had reported in September that four more troops had died than the official count showed. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had disputed that in a statement to social media. A defense official confirmed to Task & Purpose that there had been additional deaths in the Middle East but those “were not directly related to the war with Iran.” 

After fighting in the war restarted in July, then paused in August, September saw dozens of troops wounded in action. The majority of those were from the Army, but 38 of the 95 wounded last month were sailors and Marines. Also in September, an Army officer died on a non-combat flight in the Middle East after suffering a medical incident.

The Oct. 9 update also notes five soldiers were wounded in action in October, the first time that had been disclosed. Since Feb. 28, 865 service members have been wounded in the war, the majority since July 7.