The U.S. Central Command announced late on Monday that a helicopter was involved in an incident in northeastern Syria, resulting in injuries to 22 military personnel with varying degrees of severity. No details were provided regarding the cause of the incident or the severity of the injuries. The command noted in a statement that "ten of the service members were evacuated to medical facilities outside the Central Command area of operations."
The U.S. Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, stated that "an investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the incident," but indicated that there were no reports of enemy fire.
General Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, expressed in a statement, "We wish a speedy recovery for the wounded from the American helicopter that crashed in northeastern Syria. We affirm our commitment to continue working with our partners in the coalition against ISIS to ensure the stability of the region."
The autonomous administration led by the Kurds in the region and the central Syrian government in Damascus did not respond to requests for comments.
There are about 900 American soldiers in Syria, mostly in the east, as part of a mission to combat the remnants of ISIS. U.S. forces have faced repeated attacks there in recent years by Iran-backed militants. In March, 23 American soldiers in Syria suffered traumatic brain injuries during two attacks carried out by Iran-backed militants, according to the command's announcement in April.
U.S. troops were first deployed to Syria during a mission launched by the administration of former President Barack Obama against ISIS, in partnership with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
