Officials from the United States Central Command did not immediately reply to calls for more information after a mishap in Syria left 22 American servicemen injured.
WASHINGTON: The United States military said late Monday that 22 service members were injured in a helicopter “mishap” in northeast Syria on Sunday. The report did not specify what caused the accident or how serious the injuries were.
Central Command of the United States Armed Forces reported that ten service members had been sent to medical facilities outside the region for advanced treatment.
No enemy fire was recorded, but Central Command, which controls American forces in the Middle East, said the incident’s cause was still being looked into.
Requests for clarification from the United States Central Command were not met with an immediate response.
When asked about the presence of American troops in the area, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which controls large swaths of northeast Syria, deferred queries to the US-led coalition.
Both the central Syrian government in Damascus and the autonomous Kurdish-led administration which rules the area did not immediately reply to demands for comment.
About 900 American service members are currently in Syria, mostly in the eastern portion of the country, on a mission to eliminate any remaining Islamic State forces. In the past few years, Iranian-backed militia have repeatedly attacked American forces stationed there.
One American contractor was killed and another was injured or killed in Syria in March as a result of strikes and counterstrikes.
The Obama administration’s war against Islamic State saw the first deployment of US military into Syria, where they worked alongside the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic military.
While the Islamic State has been greatly diminished since its 2014 caliphate declaration, hundreds of fighters continue to camp out in desolate areas over which neither the US-led coalition nor the Syrian army, with support from Russia and Iranian-backed militias, have complete control.
U.S.-backed forces in Syria, commanded by Kurds, are holding thousands of Islamic State fighters in detention centers.
U.S. authorities warn that Islamic State might once again become a formidable foe.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad leans on assistance from Iran and Russia and views American troops as occupiers, so the threats from Iran-backed militia are a reminder of the complicated geopolitics of the region.
