Russian helicopter crash-lands in northern Syria, casualties
BEIRUT (AP) — A Russian military
helicopter made an emergency landing for technical reasons in northeast Syria on
Sunday, Russia's Defense Ministry said. Syria's state media said there were
casualties among the crew.
Russia joined Syria’s war in September
2015 and has since helped tip the balance of power in favor of President Bashar
Assad’s forces. Russian troops are deployed in different parts of Syria,
including the northeast.
Syria's state news agency SANA said the
incident happened near the village of Tel Tamr in northeastern Hassakeh
province. One crew member was killed and others were wounded, the report said,
without further details.
The Russian Defense Ministry said a
Russian Mi-35 helicopter made an emergency landing for technical reasons while
patrolling Hassakeh province.
“According to the crew’s report, there
was no firing impact on the helicopter,” the ministry statement said. It added
the helicopter's crew was evacuated.
“The crew of the Mi-35 helicopter was
promptly delivered to the airfield by the search and rescue service. There was
no threat to the fliers’ lives,” the ministry said.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the helicopter crash-landed near a
Russian military post and said the reason for the crash wasn't clear. It said
several people on board were wounded, including one critically.
The Russian military has positions in
different parts of Syria, including Tel Tamr, where their posts separate
Turkey-backed opposition gunmen and U.S.-backed Kurdish-led fighters.
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