The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.
Twenty-two US soldiers were injured in a helicopter crash in northeastern Syria, the US Army Central Command (Centcom) announced on Tuesday June 13, without mentioning the circumstances of the accident. “On June 11, a helicopter accident in northeastern Syria injured 22 U.S. soldiers to varying degrees,” Centcom said. 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 has been reported,” the statement said. It is rare for Americans to report incidents of this kind 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.
American bases have been targeted several times over the past year, notably by cells affiliated to 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 claimed half a million lives, displaced millions and fragmented the country.