US military helicopter crashes in Iraq; one dead, several injured

A member of the US-led coalition purportedly fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group has lost his life and several others sustained injuries when an American helicopter crashed on a counter-terrorism mission in Iraq.

The Operation Inherent Resolve said in a statement that the incident happened at approximately 1 a.m. local time on Monday (2200 GMT on Sunday), and that there were no immediate indications that enemy fire was involved in the crash.

“All personnel were recovered … and three were evacuated for further treatment,” the coalition said in a statement.

It added, “The aircraft was conducting a partnered counter-terrorism mission.”

The statement did not give the nationality of the service member who died, noting that an investigation had been launched into the cause of the incident.

Colonel Sean Ryan, a spokesman for the US-led international coalition, wrote in a tweet on Monday that the crash was of a military helicopter.

On March 15, an American HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter crashed in western Iraq, killing all seven service members aboard.

The United States says it has about 5,200 troops in Iraq that are part of a coalition fighting Daesh Takfiris.

SS