HIGHMILITARYVERIFIED

CENTCOM: 303+ US troops wounded, 14 killed in war — Sgt. Pennington named; Prince Sultan struck

2026-03-27 · 17:00 UTC·US Central Command / Persian Gulf / Iraq

US CENTCOM confirmed more than 303 service members wounded across the conflict through Day 28. Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, died days after being wounded in the March 1 Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base — bringing confirmed US killed-in-action to 14. A separate Day 28 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan damaged several US refueling aircraft, marking the first confirmed US aircraft losses of the war.

US Central Command's Navy Captain Tim Hawkins confirmed on 27 March 2026 official US casualty figures for Operation Epic Fury since February 28: approximately 303 US service members wounded. 'The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 273 troops have returned to duty.' A US official told AFP separately that 10 troops remain seriously wounded. The latest official figures also confirm 13 US troops killed in the war: seven in the Gulf and six in Iraq. A US-based activist group separately reported on March 23 that approximately 1,167 Iranian troops had been killed and the status of 658 troops is unknown — AFP could not independently verify these figures due to Iranian reporting restrictions. The 13 US KIA figure is the first official cumulative US killed count for the conflict.

centcomuscasualtieskilledwoundedepic-furyday28

Actor responses

United StatesNEUTRALMILITARY

CENTCOM Capt. Hawkins: '303 US service members wounded since start of Operation Epic Fury. Vast majority minor; 273 returned to duty. 10 remain seriously wounded.' 13 US troops killed total: 7 in Gulf, 6 in Iraq.

IranSUPPORTINGMILITARY

Iran has not released official casualty figures. A US-based activist group estimated 1,167 Iranian troops killed and 658 missing/unknown status as of March 23 — unverified due to Iranian reporting restrictions. Iran's strategy of attrition against US forces has inflicted a measurable toll.

Sources

T1CENTCOM / Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins / AFP / Times of Israel Liveblog9% reliability