Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
US Military Says Helicopter Accident in Northeastern Syria Left 22 American Troops Injured
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 1 year ago on
June 13, 2023

Share

A helicopter accident in northeastern Syria over the weekend left 22 American service members injured, the U.S. military said Tuesday, adding that the cause of the accident was under investigation and that no enemy fire was involved.

The military statement said the service members were receiving treatment and 10 were moved to “higher care facilities” outside the region.

“A helicopter mishap in northeastern Syria resulted in the injuries of various degrees of 22 U.S. service members,” it said. “No enemy fire was reported.”

A spokesman for the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment.

There are at least 900 U.S. forces in Syria on average, along with an undisclosed number of contractors. U.S. special operations forces also move in and out of the country, but are usually in small teams and are not included in the official count.

U.S. forces have been in Syria since 2015 to advise and assist the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the fight against the militant Islamic State group. Since the extremist group was defeated in Syria in March 2019, U.S. troops have been trying to prevent any comeback by IS, which swept through Iraq and Syria in 2014, taking control of large swaths of territory.

However, IS sleeper cells remain a threat. There are also about 10,000 IS fighters held in detention facilities in Syria and tens of thousands of their family members living in two refugee camps in the country’s northeast.

Over the past years, U.S. troops have been subjected to attacks carried out by IS members and Iran-backed fighters there. In late March, a drone attack on a U.S. base killed a contractor and wounded five American troops and another contractor. In retaliation, U.S. fighter jets struck several locations around the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, which borders Iraq.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the time that the strikes were a response to the drone attack as well as a series of recent attacks against U.S.-led coalition forces in Syria by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

In a related development, Syrian Kurdish-led authorities announced Saturday that hundreds of IS fighters held in prisons around the region will be put on trial after their home countries refused to repatriate them.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Jack Black, a Small Dog With a Big Heart, Is Looking for His Forever Home

DON'T MISS

Kamala Harris: A Baptist With a Jewish Husband and a Faith That Traces Back to MLK and Gandhi

DON'T MISS

What Italian Grandmothers Can Teach You About Healthy Eating

DON'T MISS

CA Has Seen Many New Towns, but This Big Project Is Stalled

DON'T MISS

Kern County Farmland Values Continue Downward Slide

DON'T MISS

Crescent View West High Celebrates New Clovis Home

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Sentenced to 29 Years for Sexually Assaulting Children and Dog

DON'T MISS

Bulldogs’ Two-Position Standout Tommy Hopfe Signs With Rockies

DON'T MISS

Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

DON'T MISS

Former Bulldog QB Jake Haener: I Have a ‘Rare Form of Skin Cancer’

UP NEXT

Uvalde, Texas, School Officer Pleads Not Guilty to Charges of Failing to Protect Kids During Attack

UP NEXT

95 Libyan Nationals Arrested in South Africa at Suspected Secret Military Training Camp

UP NEXT

Arson Attacks Cause Travel Chaos Before Start of Olympics in Paris, Thwarting Athletes’ Travel

UP NEXT

Mexican Drug Kingpin Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada in US Custody

UP NEXT

Harris Tells Netanyahu ‘It Is Time’ to Get Hostage Deal Done and End Gaza War

UP NEXT

Biden and Netanyahu Meet With a Show of Amiable Relations Despite Tensions

UP NEXT

Palestinian Olympic Team Greeted With Cheers and Gifts in Paris

UP NEXT

Netanyahu: A Small Man in a Big Time?

UP NEXT

FACT FOCUS: A Look at Netanyahu’s Claims About Israel, Hamas and Iran During His Speech to Congress

UP NEXT

Netanyahu Defends War in Gaza and Denounces Protesters In Fiery Speech to Congress

CA Has Seen Many New Towns, but This Big Project Is Stalled

3 hours ago

Kern County Farmland Values Continue Downward Slide

3 hours ago

Crescent View West High Celebrates New Clovis Home

14 hours ago

Fresno Man Sentenced to 29 Years for Sexually Assaulting Children and Dog

15 hours ago

Bulldogs’ Two-Position Standout Tommy Hopfe Signs With Rockies

15 hours ago

Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

15 hours ago

Former Bulldog QB Jake Haener: I Have a ‘Rare Form of Skin Cancer’

16 hours ago

The Many Names of GOP Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance

17 hours ago

‘Fed Up’ Dyer, Councilmembers Unveil Plan to Crack Down on Street Campers

17 hours ago

House Republicans Slam Trump’s ‘Worst Choice’ for VP Pick JD Vance

17 hours ago

Jack Black, a Small Dog With a Big Heart, Is Looking for His Forever Home

In October last year, a heartwarming tale of resilience and recovery began in the unlikeliest of places: a crate abandoned in an alley. This...

2 hours ago

2 hours ago

Jack Black, a Small Dog With a Big Heart, Is Looking for His Forever Home

2 hours ago

Kamala Harris: A Baptist With a Jewish Husband and a Faith That Traces Back to MLK and Gandhi

3 hours ago

What Italian Grandmothers Can Teach You About Healthy Eating

3 hours ago

CA Has Seen Many New Towns, but This Big Project Is Stalled

3 hours ago

Kern County Farmland Values Continue Downward Slide

14 hours ago

Crescent View West High Celebrates New Clovis Home

15 hours ago

Fresno Man Sentenced to 29 Years for Sexually Assaulting Children and Dog

15 hours ago

Bulldogs’ Two-Position Standout Tommy Hopfe Signs With Rockies

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend