BAGHDAD -- An American Chinook helicopter made a "hard landing" early today in southern Iraq and five U.S. soldiers were killed, the military said.
A U.S. statement said the CH-47 Chinook was setting down shortly after midnight about 60 miles west of Basra when the incident occurred. The chopper was a part of an aerial convoy flying from Kuwait to the U.S. military base at Balad just north of Baghdad. The statement said the incident was under investigation but did not provide any more details.
Separately, a U.S. soldier died of noncombat-related causes on Wednesday, and an investigation into the cause of death was under way, the military said.
| Second part of the news item, totally unrelated to the first: |
On Wednesday, gunmen killed a Sunni assistant to the governor of one of Iraq's most volatile provinces, the latest in a series of attacks that have marred the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in Iraq. Shamil Younis, an engineer who handled technical affairs for Gov. Duraid Kashmola, was killed in a drive-by shooting as he was walking home after finishing prayers at a nearby mosque in Mosul, police said. The attack occurred after iftar, the meal that breaks the Ramadan fast.
The governor, also a Sunni, confirmed the slaying and promised an investigation. He called it "a brutal crime against this innocent, good man." |