US Choppers Said to Attack Syrian Military Position

Syrian state media say two US attack helicopters struck a government-run checkpoint in the northeastern part of the country on Monday, killing at least one Syrian soldier. Much of the area is held by Syrian Kurdish militias backed by the United States. The checkpoint, near the Kurdish-held town of Qamishli, is manned under an agreement reached between the Kurds and the government. It has also been the scene of skirmishes between Kurdish fighters and Turkish troops, who were sent into northern Syria to push the Kurds away from Syria’s border with Turkey. Ankara accuses the militias of aiding Kurdish separatists inside Turkey. To the west, in Idlib Province, an explosive device went off near a joint Turkish-Russian patrol on Monday. There was damage according to several reports, but no casualties. Turkish troops are also present along that front, where they are supporting rebels still fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.