Helicopter carrying 7 US soldiers crashes in Iraq

HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter. Photo: Wikipedia

In a statement on the evening of March 15 (local time), the US Central Command confirmed that a US military helicopter had crashed in western Iraq while carrying military personnel. Accordingly, rescue teams are present at the scene at the present time. The cause of the crash has not been clarified, however, the US military announced that it will investigate this issue.

According to some sources, the crashed aircraft is believed to be an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter. About last month, the US announced plans to deploy A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, MQ-9 Reaper drones along with HH-60s to the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar to support the South Asia strategy and combat operations in Afghanistan.

CNBCCiting information from officials in the Ministry of Defense, the HH-60 aircraft crashed while not on duty and there were about 7 soldiers on board.

According toReuters, the plane crashed near al-Qaim, Anbar province, near the Syrian border. Initial reports indicate that some military officials said that there were casualties in the crash. However, the US military has not confirmed this information. According to Mirror, Mr. Ahmed al-Mahlawi, the mayor of al-Qaim also confirmed that 7 US soldiers were on the plane when it crashed.

Earlier, on March 14, an American F-18 fighter jet crashed near Key West, Florida during a training flight. Witnesses at the scene said the plane appeared to have caught fire before the crash. According to information from the US military, two US Navy pilots escaped via ejection seats, but both died.

US fighter jet crashes in Florida

A US Navy F-18 fighter jet crashed in Key West, Monroe County, Florida last night, March 14.