Thousands flee Syrian towns as government forces unleash furious attack

At least 10,000 men, women and children emerged from Hamouria and nearby opposition towns near the Syrian capital, carrying their belongings in suitcases and bags, as government forces pushed rebels out of the town with a punishing aerial and ground campaign, according to state-run Syrian television and a war monitoring group.

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US military copter crashes with 7 troops on board

U.S. officials said Friday that a U.S. military helicopter had crashed in western Iraq with seven service members on board. The officials said there was no immediate indication that the Pave Hawk helicopter was shot down.

The aircraft was being used by the Air Force for combat search and rescue, and was in transit from one location to another when it went down Thursday afternoon near al-Qaim in Anbar Province, where the U.S. has a base.

The U.S. officials said rescuers were responding to the location, but other details were not yet available. 

Government officials in Baghdad told CBS News the Iraqi Army 8th division was assisting U.S. forces to secure the crash site.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, who was traveling back to the U.S. from Bahrain, was briefed on the crash.

The U.S.-led coalition battling insurgents of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has an outpost in al-Qaim, which is located near the Syrian border. The anti-ISIS campaign accelerated through much of last year, as coalition and Iraqi forces battled to take back a string of cities and towns.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over ISIS in Mosul in July. In the following months Iraqi forces retook a handful of other ISIS-held towns including Tal Afar in August, Hawija in September and Qaim in October. In November, Iraqi forces retook the last Iraqi town held by ISIS — Rawah, near the border with Syria.

The U.S.-led coalition has continued to work with Iraq and Syrian Democratic Forces to shore up the border region to make sure that foreign fighters and insurgents can’t move freely across the region.

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