Four US troops monitored for traumatic brain injury after rocket attack on Syria base

Four U.S. service members are being evaluated for minor injuries and possible traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) following an early morning attack on Thursday on a base in eastern Syria, according to the Pentagon. 

Two rounds of indirect fire struck the Green Village base around 1:09 a.m., hitting two support buildings, Operation Inherent Resolve said in a statement.  

The Associated Press reported earlier on Thursday that the incoming rockets ignited two fires which were quickly extinguished, and that two service members had been treated after the attack and returned to duty. 

Green Village, which sits east of the Euphrates River in Syria’s Deir el-Zour province, was previously attacked in January when eight rockets landed inside its perimeter. 

Head injuries can be common following a rocket attack, as waves of sound caused by the blast can cause a concussion or mild TBI, even without a direct blow to the head.  

The issue has gained more attention in the military since a rocket attack on Iraq’s al-Asad Air Base in January 2020. No casualties were initially reported, but later brain scans showed that more than 100 service members suffered TBIs. 

Then-President Trump, who had boasted that no troops had been injured during the attack, later downplayed the severity of the trauma, referring to it as “headaches.”