A US military aircraft carrying US service members crashed in western Iraq, US Central Command said in a statement late on Thursday.
“Rescue teams are responding to the scene of the downed aircraft at this time,” the statement said.
The aircraft is thought to be a HH-60 helicopter, which crashed near al-Qaim, a town in Anbar province close to the Syrian border, according to a US official citing initial reports.
The helicopter was carrying seven people and fatalities were “likely”, the official told Reuters.
The mayor of al-Qaim, Ahmed al-Mahlawi, also told Reuters there were seven people on board.
| Update from An Nahar at 2:15 p.m. ET: |
Seven US troops were killed when the helicopter carrying them crashed in western Iraq, a US defense official said Friday."There were seven people aboard, they are all believed to be dead," the official said, adding they were US service members.
"It was a routine troop transport operation going from Iraq to Syria, nothing out of the ordinary."
A Pentagon statement said the crash involved a Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk and did not appear to be a result of enemy activity.
An accompanying US helicopter reported the crash and a quick reaction force comprised of Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition members secured the scene.
"This tragedy reminds us of the risks our men and women face every day in service of our nations. We are thinking of the loved ones of these service members today," Brigadier General Jonathan Braga said.
"We are grateful to the Iraqi Security Forces for their immediate assistance in response to this tragic incident."
The identities of those killed will be released after next of kin are notified.