The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Monday night that U.S. forces are investigating a helicopter accident in Syria that injured 22 U.S. servicemen.
Helicopter ‘accident’ in northeastern Syria on June 11 left ’22 US servicemen with varying degrees of injuries,’ CENTCOM press release says said. The statement added that all members were being treated for injuries. Ten of these military personnel are evacuated to advanced care facilities outside CENTCOM’s Area of Responsibility (AOR).
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 13, 2023
The United States has sent troops to Syria since 2015 to support and advise the Kurdish-led Democratic Forces in the country, which are at war with ISIS. ISIS has been virtually defeated in the country since 2019, but US forces are still actively working to stop the terrorist organization from returning, CBS News report.
U.S. forces remain vulnerable to attacks by ISIS members and Iran-backed fighters at home, including a drone attack in March that killed a contractor and killed five U.S. soldiers. of contractors were injured. In retaliation for the attack, US forces sent fighter planes to strike several locations around the eastern province of Deri El Zur. (Related: Pentagon reveals more casualties in Syrian airstrikes)
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that a retaliatory attack by US forces has killed six Iran-backed militants at an armory facility near Deri el-Zur and killed two more militants near Mayadeen. bottom.Another group, Dear Ezor 24, claimed US airstrikes killed four and wounded others, including Iraqis, The Associated Press report at the time.
Despite more than a decade of violent conflict in Syria, CENTCOM reported that the helicopter crash was not the result of enemy artillery fire.
