The U.S. military's three wars: previously "easily defeating weak opponents," this time it's a real confrontation.

The "Epic Fury" military operation lasted about one and a half months. The U.S. military reported: 13 killed, 365 wounded, totaling 378 casualties.

In the first 45 days of the 2003 Iraq War, the U.S. military suffered 111 fatalities and approximately 500 injuries, with total casualties exceeding 600.

This recent U.S.-Iran conflict has already resulted in over 378 casualties in just over a month—more than 60% of the casualty level seen during the initial phase of the Iraq War. Even without initiating ground operations, the intensity is already approaching that of a conventional limited war, rather than mere minor skirmishes.

In the first 45 days of the 2001 Afghanistan War, the U.S. military had 12 killed and around 50 injured, totaling approximately 80 casualties.

The current U.S.-Iran conflict’s casualties are nearly five times those of the Afghanistan War during the same period. Iran’s retaliatory strength far exceeds that of the Taliban back then.

When fighting Syria, Iraqi militias, or ISIS, the U.S. typically incurred single-digit casualties—or even zero—over several months, mainly because their opponents lacked long-range missiles, air defense systems, or drone capabilities.

Now, confronting Iran, the U.S. has suffered 365 wounded and 13 killed within just over a month—primarily due to Iran’s possession of medium- and short-range ballistic missiles and large-scale suicide drones, granting it full national and theater-wide retaliation capability. This marks the first time in nearly 30 years that the U.S. military has faced an equal-level counterattack from a fully modernized industrialized military power.

Previously, it was "easy victories"; this time, it's a real fight.

The U.S. campaign against Iran named "Epic Fury" has produced casualties comparable to those of the Iraq War—far exceeding the levels seen in the Afghanistan War and all recent airstrikes—and represents the strongest, most sustained battlefield pressure the U.S. military has faced in nearly three decades.

 

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861542286348352/

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