Nine US soldiers killed in air crash

A US Black Hawk medivac helicopter crashed yesterday near Fallujah, the stronghold of the anti-American insurgency, killing all nine soldiers aboard, the US military said. A witness said the helicopter was hit in the tail by a rocket.

The military also said a US soldier died on Wednesday of injuries suffered in a mortar attack that wounded 33 other troops and a civilian west of Baghdad.

There were no survivors among the nine American soldiers aboard the medical evacuation helicopter that crashed about 2:20 pm while making an “emergency landing” near Fallujah, said Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt in Baghdad.

Mohammed Ahmed al-Jamali, a farmer who lives close to the crash site, said he heard the whoosh of a rocket, saw it hit the helicopter in the tail and watched the chopper crash in flames.

Mr Al-Jamali, 27, said he rushed to the scene but found all aboard dead.

“I heard the sound, looked up and I saw the rocket hit. It hit it in the tail,” Mr al-Jamali said.

He said there were two helicopters in the air, both with the distinctive red crosses of medical evacuation craft, and that the second one was hit.

The helicopter was a medical evacuation aircraft but it was unclear if it was carrying patients, a military official said.

American troops arrived about an hour later, while a helicopter patrolled above, Mr al-Jamali said.

Fallujah, west of Baghdad, is a flash point of the resistance against the US occupation where rebels previously have shot down US helicopters.

A US helicopter was shot down on January 2 in the same area, killing one soldier, and military officials said it almost certainly was shot down by rebels.