Thousands 'will die' in first days of North Korea war Pentagon warns

US military chiefs have reportedly warned that a war with North Korea could result in the death or injury of around 10,000 American soldiers in just the opening days, with the number far exceeding the total 7,000 killed in fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The revelation emerged on Thursday after top military leaders in the United States attended a classified gathering in Hawaii to raise their concerns and discuss various scenarios that would arise in the early stages of a prospective US-North Korea conflict.

Pentagon officials in the meeting, led by Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley and US Special Operations Commander General Raymond Thomas, claimed that the opening days of the full-scale war with North Korea would be "catastrophic."

Based on calculations, 10,000 US soldiers would be killed or injured in those first few days along with hundreds of thousands of civilians on the Korean Peninsula, according to Milley."The brutality of this will be beyond the experience of any living soldier," the US army chief of staff said in the gathering.Tensions have been running high between Washington and Pyongyang over North Korea's missile and nuclear programs since US President Donald Trump warned to "totally destroy" North Korea during a speech to the latest UN General Assembly.

The US administration claims it prefers a diplomatic solution to the crisis, but it also says that all options are on the table, including military ones.Washington insists that any future talks should be aimed at North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons, something Pyongyang rejects.

"Our condition is denuclearization," US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said this week. "Our policy has not changed. We have talked about this policy since day one of this administration; and that's maximum pressure, but it's also the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

North Korea has been under a raft of crippling UN sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear tests as well as multiple rocket and missile launches. Pyongyang firmly defends its weapons programs as a deterrent against potential aggression by the US and its regional allies, including South Korea. The North says the regular joint war games by the US, South Korea, and Japan, are rehearsals for war, and has repeatedly urged Seoul and Tokyo to disengage from such drills.The US has substantial military presence in the region, including in South Korea and Japan.

Some US officials have said North Korea has been making significant advances in its nuclear weapons using the thermonuclear test and progress in its intercontinental missile systems. They have threatened the North with a military response unless it abandons its nuclear weapons program.

Iraq says it will under no circumstances permit the United States to build permanent military bases on its soil, which would be a violation of its sovereignty."Baghdad firmly rejects the construction of US military bases on its soil," said Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Jaafari at the end of an extended visit to Russia on Friday.Iraq will "not stand on ceremony" when it comes to the protection of its sovereignty, he said.

He said that, back in 2014, when Baghdad asked for international help in fighting the Takfiri terrorist group of Daesh, it said the potential contribution had to meet the requirements of Iraq's sovereignty and independence.

Jaafari said Baghdad had made the matter clear that contributions to its counter-terrorism operations should not lead to the establishment of military bases or permanent foreign military presence in its territory.

"Iraq's sovereignty is our red line," the Iraqi foreign minister said.

He pointed to the presence of permanent US military bases in "South Korea, Turkey, Japan, and many other world countries" long after the end of World War II and said the bases violated those countries' sovereignty.

According to US government data, there are about 9,000 American troops in Iraq. The US Department of Defense, though, puts the number at far lower.In 2003, the US invaded Iraq to topple the then-regime of Saddam Hussein, who the US and Britain falsely claimed was in possession of weapons of mass destruction. Former US President Barack Obama pulled out all US combat troops from Iraq in 2011, effectively ending the invasion and occupation of the Arab country.

But the destruction that the war had caused, including the decimation of the Iraqi security structure, allowed Daesh to emerge in 2014. In September that same year, the US led a number of its allies in launching an aerial bombardment campaign against purported Daesh targets in Iraq.

That coalition continues to be present in Iraq even as the Iraqi leadership announced the end of the war on Daesh in the country in December last year.Last month, NATO even agreed to a US demand to deploy a larger military mission to Iraq.

Earlier, on Tuesday, Jaafari told reporters in Moscow that Baghdad was thoroughly considering purchasing Russia's surface-to-air S-400 missile defense systems."The issue is being studied in every detail," he said. "All necessary decisions aimed at strengthening Iraq will be made after that."

Late last month, the US warned Iraq through State Department spokeswoman Heather Neuert of the consequences of extending military cooperation with Russia and striking deals to purchase advanced weaponry, particularly the S-400 systems.

Neuert said Washington had contacted Baghdad and many other countries to explain the significance of the Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) -- which targets Russia, Iran, and North Korea -- and possible consequences that would arise in the wake of defense agreements with Moscow.