Questions linger as US-backed Kurd forces say Iraq chopper crash victims were theirs
The Syrian Democratic Forces said two helicopters carrying its elite forces had crashed en route to Sulaiymaniyah.
The veil of mystery shrouding a March 15 helicopter crash in Iraqi Kurdistan was partially lifted Friday when the United States' top ally in the fight against the Islamic State said that nine of its fighters were killed in the accident.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said two helicopters carrying its elite forces had crashed en route to Sulaiymaniyah, the Kurdistan region’s second-largest city. Sulaiymaniyah is the stronghold of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the second most powerful party in the Kurdistan region. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said Thursday that a single helicopter had crashed in the district of Chamanke in Dohuk province.
The SDF added that the units were part of an “exchange of expertise” in the fight against the Islamic State. Among the victims was Sherwan Kobane, a nephew of the SDF’s commander in chief, Mazlum Kobane, who is also known as Mazlum Abdi.
The group also published the names and photographs of the fallen fighters, including three women. The statement, however, left one critical question unaddressed: Who did the helicopters belong to?
