Twenty-two US soldiers sustained injuries in a helicopter accident in northeastern Syria over the weekend, as confirmed by US Central Command on Tuesday. According to Centcom’s statement, the mishap occurred on Sunday and resulted in varying degrees of injuries to the service members.
Immediate medical treatment is being provided to the injured soldiers, and ten of them have been evacuated to advanced care facilities. While the incident is currently under investigation, no reports of enemy fire have been received.
The United States has approximately 1,000 troops deployed in Syria as part of international efforts to combat extremist groups. Periodically, the US conducts strikes to target militants within the country.
Over the past year, US bases have been repeatedly targeted, with some attacks claimed by cells affiliated with Daesh. In March, the United States conducted airstrikes on Iran-linked groups in Syria in response to a drone attack on a US-led coalition base near the city of Hasakeh in northeastern Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, at least 19 people were killed in those US airstrikes.
Since its inception in 2011, the conflict in Syria has claimed the lives of approximately half a million people. What started as a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests has evolved into a complex battleground involving foreign armies, militias, and extremist organizations.
(Islamabad51-Newsdesk)
