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On 17 May 1987, an Iraqi Mirage F1 attack aircraft launched two Exocet missiles at the USS Stark, a Perry class frigate. The first struck the port side of the ship and failed to explode, though it left burning propellant in its wake; the second struck moments later in approximately the same place and penetrated through to crew quarters, where it exploded, killing 37 crew members and leaving 21 injured. Whether or not Iraqi leadership authorised the attack is still unknown. Initial claims by the Iraqi government (that Stark was inside the Iran–Iraq War zone) were shown to be false, and the motives and orders of the pilot remain unanswered. Though American officials claimed that the pilot who attacked Stark had been executed, an ex-Iraqi Air Force commander since stated he had not been punished, and was still alive at the time.[45] The attack remains the only successful anti-ship missile strike on an American warship.[181][182] Due to the extensive political and military cooperation between the Iraqis and Americans by 1987, the attack had little effect on relations between the two countries. -Wikipedia: Iran-Iraq War

What is the meaning of since in the sentence in bold?

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Though American officials claimed that the pilot who attacked Stark had been executed, an ex-Iraqi Air Force commander since stated he had not been punished, and was still alive at the time.

Since means "in the period of time that followed the claims by American officials". Simply speaking, "after that".

A pilot attacked Stark. Then American officials made their claims. Following this, at some unspecified moment, an ex-Iraqi Air Force commander said that the pilot had not been punished.

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    "Subsequently", "later", etc.
    – GalacticCowboy
    Jan 13, 2015 at 17:27
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CopperKettle is quite right. In addition, I'd say it could be worded better by moving the 'though' and using 'has since':

American officials claimed that the pilot who attacked Stark had been executed, though an ex-Iraqi Air Force commander has since stated he had not been punished, and was still alive at the time.

Edit: I'm British, maybe American style prefers the the missing 'has'?

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  • You mean Americans use Present Perfect sometimes without have/has?
    – Mehdi Haghgoo
    Jan 13, 2015 at 11:30
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    @MehdiHaghgoo - no, Americans sometimes use Simple Past instead of Present Perfect.
    – CowperKettle
    Jan 13, 2015 at 11:46
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    Moving the "though" subtly alters the emphasis/meaning of the sentence. In the original, the claim of the American officials is the secondary piece of information. In your modify one that becomes the focus.
    – eques
    Jan 13, 2015 at 14:47
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    I'm American. @CopperKettle is are correct that we often use the simple past (no has). I wouldn't go so far as saying we prefer it, but we tolerate it. Through clenched teeth, in my case.
    – Adam
    Jan 13, 2015 at 18:15

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