LONDON: A group of 22 US soldiers injured in a helicopter accident in northeast Syria on Monday belonged to the elite Delta Force special forces unit, the New York Times reported.
The US Army’s top special forces unit has previously carried out operations to kill or capture Daesh militants in northeast Syria, where the accident took place, military officials said.
Out of the 22 soldiers left with injuries as a result of the “helicopter mishap” on the MH-47 Chinook, 10 were transported to a hospital in Germany to receive treatment, the Pentagon’s Central Command said on Monday. An inquiry was also opened, a statement said.
The helicopter is said to have crashed in normal weather conditions and without taking enemy fire, because of a “problem with one rotor that caused a hard landing during takeoff,” said Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh.
More than 900 US military personnel and hundreds more contractors remain in Syria to work with Kurdish allies in an attempt to subdue the remaining elements of Daesh following the collapse of the terror group.
