<p>Twenty-two US service members were injured in a helicopter "mishap" in northeast Syria on Sunday, the US military said late on Monday, without disclosing the cause of the incident or detailing the severity of the injuries.</p>.<p>The US military's Central Command said 10 service members were evacuated to higher-level care facilities outside the region.</p>.<p>Central Command, which oversees US troops in the Middle East, said no enemy fire was reported but added that the cause of the incident was under investigation.</p>.<p>Officials at US Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for further information.</p>.<p>There are about 900 US personnel deployed to Syria, most of them in the east, as part of a mission fighting the remnants of the Islamic State. American troops there have come under repeated attacks in recent years by Iran-backed militia.</p>.<p>In March, 25 US troops were wounded in strikes and counter-strikes in Syria, which also killed one US contractor and injured another.</p>.<p>US forces first deployed into Syria during the Obama administration's campaign against Islamic State, partnering with a Kurdish-led group called the Syrian Democratic Forces.</p>.<p>While the Islamic State is a shadow of the group that ruled over a third of Syria and Iraq in a caliphate declared in 2014, hundreds of fighters are still camped in desolate areas where neither the US-led coalition nor the Syrian army, with support from Russia and Iranian-backed militias, exert full control.</p>.<p>Thousands of other Islamic State fighters are in detention facilities guarded by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, America's key ally in the country.</p>.<p>US officials say that Islamic State could still regenerate into a major threat.</p>.<p>The threats from Iran-backed militia to US forces are a reminder of the complex geopolitics of Syria, where Syrian President Bashar al-Assad counts on support from Iran and Russia and sees American troops as occupiers. </p>
<p>Twenty-two US service members were injured in a helicopter "mishap" in northeast Syria on Sunday, the US military said late on Monday, without disclosing the cause of the incident or detailing the severity of the injuries.</p>.<p>The US military's Central Command said 10 service members were evacuated to higher-level care facilities outside the region.</p>.<p>Central Command, which oversees US troops in the Middle East, said no enemy fire was reported but added that the cause of the incident was under investigation.</p>.<p>Officials at US Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for further information.</p>.<p>There are about 900 US personnel deployed to Syria, most of them in the east, as part of a mission fighting the remnants of the Islamic State. American troops there have come under repeated attacks in recent years by Iran-backed militia.</p>.<p>In March, 25 US troops were wounded in strikes and counter-strikes in Syria, which also killed one US contractor and injured another.</p>.<p>US forces first deployed into Syria during the Obama administration's campaign against Islamic State, partnering with a Kurdish-led group called the Syrian Democratic Forces.</p>.<p>While the Islamic State is a shadow of the group that ruled over a third of Syria and Iraq in a caliphate declared in 2014, hundreds of fighters are still camped in desolate areas where neither the US-led coalition nor the Syrian army, with support from Russia and Iranian-backed militias, exert full control.</p>.<p>Thousands of other Islamic State fighters are in detention facilities guarded by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, America's key ally in the country.</p>.<p>US officials say that Islamic State could still regenerate into a major threat.</p>.<p>The threats from Iran-backed militia to US forces are a reminder of the complex geopolitics of Syria, where Syrian President Bashar al-Assad counts on support from Iran and Russia and sees American troops as occupiers. </p>