Twenty-two U.S. soldiers were injured in a helicopter crash in northeastern Syria, the U.S. military's Central Command (Centcom) said Tuesday, without mentioning its circumstances.
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On June 11, a helicopter crash in northeast Syria injured 22 U.S. soldiers to varying degrees," Centcom said in its statement. Ten of the wounded were transferred out of the Central Command area of operations for treatment. "The cause of the accident is still under investigation, although no enemy fire was reported," the statement said.
It is rare for the Americans to report such incidents in Syria, where international anti-jihadist coalition forces, including US forces, are deployed in areas of influence of Kurdish forces and their allies in northeastern Syria. US forces are also present at the al-Tanf base in the south, near the Jordanian and Iraqi borders.
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U.S. bases have been targeted several times over the past year, including by cells affiliated with the Islamic State group, while others point the finger at armed groups loyal to Iran. Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since 2011, which has killed half a million people, displaced millions and fragmented the country.