Pentagon Understates War Casualties, Says Veterans Group

The Pentagon is intentionally underreporting US casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a recent report by veterans' advocacy group Veterans for Common Sense.

The Pentagon's most recent public reports, which can be found in the media, say that 3,587 US troops have been killed and 26,350 have been wounded in Iraq. In Afghanistan, says the Pentagon, 403 US troops have been killed since 2001, and 1,342 have been wounded.

Thus, the Pentagon's public accounting gives the impression that there have been less than 32,000 casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But documents obtained by Veterans for Common Sense through Freedom of Information Act requests reveal the number of casualties to be much higher. But documents obtained by Veterans for Common Sense through Freedom of Information Act requests reveal the number of casualties to be much higher.

According to these documents, as of June 30, 2007, US casualties in Afghanistan totaled closer to 7,500 (killed, wounded, injured, and medically evacuated). In Iraq, the total is almost 58,000.