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Syrian Kurdish Force Says It Lost 9 Fighters in Iraq Crash

The Syrian Democratic Forces said the helicopters crashed during bad weather while en route to the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah on Wednesday night. (Getty Images/AFP)
The Syrian Democratic Forces said the helicopters crashed during bad weather while en route to the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah on Wednesday night. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Syrian Kurdish Force Says It Lost 9 Fighters in Iraq Crash

The Syrian Democratic Forces said the helicopters crashed during bad weather while en route to the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah on Wednesday night. (Getty Images/AFP)
The Syrian Democratic Forces said the helicopters crashed during bad weather while en route to the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah on Wednesday night. (Getty Images/AFP)

The main US-backed and Kurdish-led force in northeastern Syria said Friday it lost nine fighters, including a commander, when two helicopters crashed this week in neighboring Iraq.

The Syrian Democratic Forces said the helicopters crashed during bad weather while en route to the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah on Wednesday night. The nine killed included elite fighters, the group said.

The statement added that the Syrian Kurdish fighters were in Iraq as part of an “exchange of expertise” in the fight against the ISIS group. It identified the killed commander as Sherfan Kobani, a cousin of SDF's top commander, Mazloum Abdi.

The SDF did not elaborate on the cause of the crash or provide further details. The group called on local authorities in Iraq to hand over the nine bodies so they could be brought home for burial in Syria.

The SDF has been a main force in the fight against the ISIS in Syria and still carries out operations against the extremists. ISIS once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq under the extremists’ so-called “caliphate” and still has sleeper cells in the region. The militants frequently stage attacks, targeting Kurdish-led fighters in Syria, and also Iraqi forces and civilians in Iraq.

The SDF statement is in sharp contrast to a report on Thursday from Iraqi Kurdish authorities, which said that only one helicopter — an AS350 Eurocopter — had crashed in Iraq’s Dohuk province in the northern semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdish region.

That report said that at least five people, including insurgents of Türkiye's outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s Party, or PKK, were on board. Zagros Hiwa, a PKK spokesperson, said Thursday the group does not possess helicopters and that the PKK was also investigating the crash.

The PKK has been waging an insurgency against Türkiye since the 1980s and is considered a terrorist group by Ankara, the United States and the European Union. Its militants have established safe havens in northern Iraq and frequently come under attack by Türkiye in the region.

Iraq’s government, the US-led coalition and Türkiye had all denied ownership of the helicopter.

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Arab World

Islamabad: 50,000 Pakistanis Are Missing in Iraq

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
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Islamabad: 50,000 Pakistanis Are Missing in Iraq

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)

Pakistan’s Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain sparked controversy when he revealed that 50,000 Pakistanis have gone missing in Iraq over the years.

He urged the Baghdad government to immediately launch a probe into how the Pakistanis entered Iraq to visit religious sites during the month of Muharram, he was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s Ummat newspaper.

Islamabad is investigating how people have traveled outside Pakistan through illegal means, he remarked.

The permanent committee for religious affairs and interfaith harmony has since proposed new policies for trips to holy sites in foreign countries, including Iraq.

In Iraq, the minister’s comments drew mockery and condemnation on social media and sparked renewed debate over illegal workers in the country.

Politician Mishaan al-Juburi urged the government to make a statement over Hussain’s comments, warning that they may impact security and the labor force.

Hussain’s comments coincided with Iraqi police announcing the arrest of six Pakistanis in Baghdad on charges of theft.

Previously, military intelligence also announced the arrest of a nine-member Pakistani kidnapping and extortion gang in Baghdad. The gang had kidnapped foreigners for ransom.

Meanwhile, Labor Minister Ahmed al-Asadi expressed his concern and condemnation over the increasing number of illegal workers in Iraq.

He said his ministry will investigate the disappearance of the Pakistanis.

He confirmed that several tourists, including Pakistanis, have flocked to Iraq in recent days, and many have taken up employment without the necessary legal permits.

He warned that this phenomenon is negatively impacting the national economy.

The ministry will not be lenient in taking the necessary legal measures against the violators, he vowed.

Iraq welcomes all tourists, whether they are here on a religious visit or otherwise, but they must respect local laws and regulations, declared Asadi.

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala.