Beirut — A helicopter “mishap” in northeast Syria over the weekend left 22 United States service members injured, the U.S. military said Tuesday, adding that the cause of the accident was under investigation.
The statement from the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said they were receiving treatment and 10 have been moved to “higher care facilities” outside the region.
It said “a helicopter mishap in northeastern Syria resulted in the injuries of various degrees of 22 U.S. service members” and Sunday’s accident is under investigation “although no enemy fire was reported.”
A spokesman for the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces didn’t 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 aren’t included in the official count.
