US admits there were eight suicide attempts on US aircraft carrier during record Middle East deployment

The Trump administration has acknowledged eight suicide attempts by US service members during the extended deployment of an aircraft carrier to the Middle East, a US lawmaker revealed on Wednesday. The information emerged in a letter, seen by the AFP news agency, that was sent by Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao in response to questions from Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand about conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln. Reports of deteriorating living conditions and poor mental health on board the carrier since it first deployed to sea last November made headlines in the United States, provoking criticism of President Donald Trump's war against Iran.