India, June 25 -- A growing number of American soldiers wounded during 'Operation Epic Fury' are accusing the US Department of Defence of systemic dishonesty, alleging that the military is intentionally minimising the severity of combat-related injuries to maintain a positive narrative surrounding the war with Iran. The pushback follows claims by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who recently asserted that 90% of the approximately 400 soldiers wounded in the conflict suffered only minor injuries and have already returned to active duty.

In an exclusive investigation, US-based broadcaster CBS News spoke with several veterans who contend that the Pentagon's official statistics fail to account for the long-term physical and psychological t...