17 Aug 2020; MEMO: Two US helicopters today attacked a Syrian army checkpoint in northeastern Syria near the Kurdish-held city of Qamishli, killing one soldier and injuring two others, Reuters reported state media saying.
The incident happened shortly after a US patrol was prevented from passing by an army checkpoint in the area, state media said.
Northeastern Syria is mainly under the control of US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who are spearheaded by Kurdish fighters, but Syrian army forces are deployed in certain locations under agreements with the Kurds.
Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than ten million displaced, according to UN estimates.
