Twenty-two U.S. service members were injured on Sunday in northeastern Syria in a “mishap” involving a helicopter, military officials said Monday.
“The cause of the incident is under investigation, although no enemy fire was reported,” U.S. Central Command said.
The service members had “various degrees” of injuries, officials said. Ten were evacuated to health facilities outside the region, the statement said.
Military officials in April ordered a 24-hour stand down of all aviation units following two deadly mid-air helicopter collisions within 30 days.
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Two Apache helicopters crashed in April in Alaska, killing three soldiers and leaving another injured.
Elsewhere, two HH-60 Blackhawk helicopters collided in late March 2023 near Fort Campbell, Kentucky, killing nine Army soldiers aboard.
“The safety of our aviators is our top priority, and this stand-down is an important step to make certain we are doing everything possible to prevent accidents and protect our personnel,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said in a statement announcing the stand-down.