Black Hawk helicopter downed in Iraq, 17 dead
Two US Black Hawk helicopters crashed on Saturday in the city of Mosul, northern Iraq, killing 17 passengers, according to a military spokesman.
Five soldiers were wounded and one was reported missing.
One helicopter was carrying assault troops; the other loaded with soldiers on a transport mission in northern Iraq.
There are reports that one of the Black Hawks was downed by a rocket propelled grenade.
The two Black Hawks were attached to the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division.
Some witnesses said the helicopters collided in mid-air at around 18:30 local time (15:30GMT).
US forces have arrested a total of 134 suspects since Wednesday in the region of Mosul and the province of Anbar west of the capital.
On November 2nd, a Chinook helicopter was shot down near Fallujah. Sixteen died in the crash.
Five days later, a US Black Hawk was shot down near Tikrit, killing all six people onboard.
