US helicopter crashes in Iraq

A US helicopter crashed today near the north-central Iraqi city of Tikrit, soldiers and witnesses said.

It was not immediately possible to obtain any information on possible casualties or on whether the helicopter had been brought down by ground fire.

The helicopter went down on a riverbank about half a mile from the US base in Saddam Hussein’s former palace.

White smoke was seen rising from the wreckage and three other helicopters were hovering overhead.

The US military said the helicopter was an army Black Hawk. It was not known whether the aircraft went down due to mechanical failure of hostile fire.

The military said it did not know how many people were aboard.

White smoke was seen rising from the wreckage and three other choppers were hovering overhead.

“We don’t know if it was a mechanical failure or hostile fire,” Major Jossyln Aberle, spokeswoman for the 4th Infantry Division, said.

On Sunday, a US Army Chinook helicopter was shot down near Fallujah, killing 16 people and injuring 26.

On October 25, a Black Hawk was shot down near Tikrit and one crew member was injured.