Syrian helicopter crash-lands, leaving 2 crew members dead

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian state media says a military helicopter crash-landed in a rugged mountainous area during a training mission in the country’s northwest, leaving two of the five crew members dead. The report said the helicopter faced technical problems while flying over the coastal province of Latakia Thursday. Syria’s conflict that began in March 2011 has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million. Syrian government forces now control much of the country with the help of Russia and Iran, the main bakers of President Bashar Assad.