US military says helicopter accident in northeastern Syria left 22 American troops injured

By BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — The United States military says a helicopter accident in northeastern Syria over the weekend has left 22 U.S. service members injured to various degree. The military said the cause of Sunday’s “mishap” was under investigation. It says no enemy fire was reported. The statement said 10 service members were moved to “higher care facilities” outside the region. A Pentagon spokeswoman said Tuesday that the incident involved a single MH-47 Chinook helicopter that “had a problem with one rotor that caused a hard landing during takeoff.” About 900 U.S. troops are in Syria assisting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the fight against the militant Islamic State group.