Pentagon denies reducing number of US soldier casualties in war with Iran - Sarmad

The Pentagon denied the accuracy of a New York Times report that accused it of downplaying the number of U.S. military casualties during the war with Iran, affirming that the change in the data was due to a temporary technical glitch.

Spokesman Sean Barnell of the U.S. Department of Defense stated in a post on the X platform that the newspaper’s claim that the Pentagon deliberately reduced the number of U.S. military casualties in Iran was “a lie” and “one of the worst examples of fake news.”

The newspaper had noted that the number of casualties listed on the Pentagon’s website had dropped suddenly, pointing out that three military officials and a department spokesperson had offered differing explanations for the discrepancy.

Barnell wrote in his post: “This is one of the worst examples of how media outlets that spread fake news fabricate stories out of thin air to stir anxiety among the American people.”

He noted that the Pentagon press office had made an informal phone call to the New York Times, during which it explained in detail that the errors appearing on the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) website were the result of a temporary data glitch, and that the relevant teams were working to resolve the issue in coordination with the military branches.

According to Barnell, the New York Times ignored this clarification and proceeded to publish a report not grounded in facts, due to its lack of knowledge in this field, even though the problem would be resolved shortly. He emphasized his commitment to ensuring the highest degree of accuracy in data on U.S. military casualties.