Eight U.S. service members were treated for traumatic brain injury and smoke inhalation after a one-way drone attack in Syria over the weekend, a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.
Of those eight, three service members have already returned to duty, and the rest are still under medical observation, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters at a briefing.
Ryder stressed that “none of the injuries are life-threatening,” but provided no other details on the condition of the service members or the severity of the brain injuries.
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The injuries were caused by a drone that struck Saturday at the Rumalyn Landing Zone in northeast Syria. There are roughly 900 U.S. troops in Syria as part of an international coalition working to keep remnants of the Islamic State terrorist group at bay.
Ryder previously told reporters Monday that “several” troops were transported to an undisclosed separate location to treat minor injuries after Saturday’s attack, but did not specify exactly how many until Tuesday.
The drone strike in Syria is the second time in recent weeks that U.S. troops in the Middle East have been injured. While there had been a lull in recent months, Iranian-backed militias launched a spate of attacks against U.S. forces in the region after Israel began its military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas’ brutal…
