The U.S. military reported late Monday that 22 American service members were injured in a helicopter mishap in northeast Syria on Sunday, but did not specify the nature of the crash or the extent of the injuries.
No enemy fire was reported, but Central Command, which controls American forces in the Middle East, said the incident’s cause was still being investigated.
As part of a mission to combat the remnants of the Islamic State, roughly 900 U.S. troops have been deployed to Syria, the majority in the east. In the past few years, Iranian-backed militias have repeatedly attacked American troops there.
U.S. forces initially entered Syria as part of the Obama administration’s efforts to combat the Islamic State, joining forces with the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led organization.
