On Tuesday, the US military confirmed that 22 American service members had sustained injuries following a helicopter crash in northeastern Syria over the weekend. The military statement indicated that the incident did not involve any hostile fire, and that the cause of the crash was under investigation. Medical attention was immediately provided to those affected, with 10 of them being transported to "higher care institutions" located outside of the area, as reported by the AP.
22 US military members suffered injuries of varying severity as a consequence of a helicopter accident in northeastern Syria, according to the statement. "There was no recorded hostile fire." An AP request for comment did not receive a prompt response from a spokeswoman for the US-backed Syrian Kurdish troops.
On average, there are 900 US troops and an unspecified number of contractors in Syria. The stated tally does not include US special operations personnel since they typically go in small parties. Since 2015, US troops have been present in Syria to advise and support the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in their conflict with the extremist Islamic State organization.
US soldiers have been attempting to stop any resurgence of IS after the terrorist organization was routed in Syria in March 2019. IS raced across Iraq and Syria in 2014, capturing vast areas of land.
However, IS sleeper cells remain a threat. Additionally, tens of thousands of IS militants' relatives are housed in two refugee camps in Syria's northeast, along with roughly 10,000 IS jihadists who are detained there. US soldiers have seen strikes from IS fighters and fighters with Iran's support over the previous few years.
A drone strike on a US installation in late March resulted in the death of a contractor and the injury of five American soldiers and a second contractor. US fighter planes launched retaliatory strikes in the Iraqi border province of Deir el-Zour in the east.
22 US military members suffered injuries of varying severity as a consequence of a helicopter accident in northeastern Syria, according to the statement. "There was no recorded hostile fire." An AP request for comment did not receive a prompt response from a spokeswoman for the US-backed Syrian Kurdish troops.
On average, there are 900 US troops and an unspecified number of contractors in Syria. The stated tally does not include US special operations personnel since they typically go in small parties. Since 2015, US troops have been present in Syria to advise and support the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in their conflict with the extremist Islamic State organization.
US soldiers have been attempting to stop any resurgence of IS after the terrorist organization was routed in Syria in March 2019. IS raced across Iraq and Syria in 2014, capturing vast areas of land.
However, IS sleeper cells remain a threat. Additionally, tens of thousands of IS militants' relatives are housed in two refugee camps in Syria's northeast, along with roughly 10,000 IS jihadists who are detained there. US soldiers have seen strikes from IS fighters and fighters with Iran's support over the previous few years.
A drone strike on a US installation in late March resulted in the death of a contractor and the injury of five American soldiers and a second contractor. US fighter planes launched retaliatory strikes in the Iraqi border province of Deir el-Zour in the east.
