The military statement said the servicemen were receiving treatment and 10 had been transferred to "higher-level care facilities" outside the area.
US troops in Syria. Photo: CTV News
"A helicopter crash in northeastern Syria has left 22 U.S. servicemen injured to varying degrees," the statement said. "There were no reports of enemy fire."
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said in a press briefing that the incident involved an MH-47 Chinook helicopter. “The Chinook experienced a rotor malfunction that caused it to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff,” she said, adding that all crew members were in stable condition.
On average, there are at least 900 U.S. troops in Syria, along with a number of undisclosed contractors. U.S. forces have been present in Syria since 2015 to advise and support the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in their fight against the extremist Islamic State group.
Since this extremist group was defeated in Syria in March 2019, the US military has been trying to prevent any return of IS to the region.
There are still around 10,000 IS fighters being held in detention facilities in Syria, and tens of thousands of their family members living in two refugee camps in the northeast of the country.
Over the years, the U.S. military has suffered attacks carried out by members of the Islamic State group and Iranian-backed militants.
In late March, a drone attack on a U.S. base killed one contractor and wounded five U.S. soldiers and another contractor.
In retaliation, US fighter jets attacked several locations around the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, which borders Iraq.
Hoang Nam (according to AP)
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