LONDON: A British soldier was critically injured, alongside a US counterpart, during a covert night-time parachute mission against Daesh in Iraq.
The soldiers, from the UK’s Special Air Service (SAS) and US Army Delta Force, were wounded when they collided in mid-air near the city of Baiji.
The pair hit the ground at high speed, sustaining severe injuries. Their canopies are thought to have become entangled and deflated, causing the accident.
“All the parachutists were relying on night vision goggles. The coming-together, which could have killed both guys, happened after they had pulled their chutes,” a source from the SAS told Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper.