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14 GIs Die in Iraq Chopper Crash
14 GIs killed in Iraq chopper crash
U.S. military says no indication of hostile fire in incident
The Associated Press
Updated: 5:19 a.m. ET Aug 22, 2007
BAGHDAD - A helicopter went down in northern Iraq on Wednesday, killing all 14 U.S. soldiers aboard, the military said, the deadliest crash since January 2005.
The military said initial indications showed the aircraft experienced a mechanical problem and was not brought down by hostile fire, but the cause of the crash was still under investigation.
The UH-60 Black Hawk was part of a pair of helicopters on a nighttime operation when the crash occurred. The four crew members and 10 passengers who perished in the crash were assigned to Task Force Lightning, the military said. It did not release identities pending notification of relatives.
The U.S. military relies heavily on helicopters to avoid the threat of ambushes and roadside bombs — the deadliest weapon in the militants’ arsenal — and dozens have crashed in accidents or been shot down.
The deadliest crash occurred on Jan. 26, 2005, when a CH-53 Sea Stallion transport helicopter went down in a sandstorm in western Iraq, killing 31 U.S. troops.
Wednesday’s deaths raised to at least 3,721 members of the U.S. military who have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
Attacks target Iraqi security forces
Iraqi security forces also faced more violence in northern Iraq, with a roadside bomb targeting a police patrol in the center of Tikrit, killing one officer and wounding another, along with two civilians, authorities said.
A suicide truck bomber also struck the police directorate in Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad, causing an undetermined number of casualties, police said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
With violence unrelenting, political pressure mounted for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to show progress in bringing Iraq’s battling factions together.
President Bush acknowledged his frustration with Iraqi leaders’ inability to bridge political divisions on Tuesday, but said only the Iraqi people can decide whether to sideline the troubled prime minister.
“Clearly, the Iraqi government’s got to do more,†Bush said at the close of a two-day North American summit with the leaders of Mexico and Canada.
Deadline for progress report fast approaching
The Sept. 15 deadline for Bush’s next progress report to Congress is fast approaching, leaving the president little time to show that his U.S. troop buildup is succeeding in providing the enhanced security the Iraqi leaders need to forge a unified way forward.
U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, co-author of the highly anticipated report to Congress, said Tuesday that Washington’s blueprint for reconciliation was insufficient to win back control of Iraq. Congressional benchmarks such as laws to share oil revenue and reform security services don’t tell the whole story, he said Tuesday.
Crocker and the U.S. military commander, Gen. David Petraeus, may be heading into a storm of discontent as they argue before Congress that American troops need more time in Iraq.
Last week, a stunning suicide bomb attack killed as many as 500 people in northern Iraq, an attack blamed on al-Qaida in Iraq.
Crocker called Iraq’s problems difficult but fixable, arguing for more time for his diplomacy and operations by the bolstered American military force.
© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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U.S. military says no indication of hostile fire in incident
The Associated Press
Updated: 5:19 a.m. ET Aug 22, 2007
BAGHDAD - A helicopter went down in northern Iraq on Wednesday, killing all 14 U.S. soldiers aboard, the military said, the deadliest crash since January 2005.
The military said initial indications showed the aircraft experienced a mechanical problem and was not brought down by hostile fire, but the cause of the crash was still under investigation.
The UH-60 Black Hawk was part of a pair of helicopters on a nighttime operation when the crash occurred. The four crew members and 10 passengers who perished in the crash were assigned to Task Force Lightning, the military said. It did not release identities pending notification of relatives.
The U.S. military relies heavily on helicopters to avoid the threat of ambushes and roadside bombs — the deadliest weapon in the militants’ arsenal — and dozens have crashed in accidents or been shot down.
The deadliest crash occurred on Jan. 26, 2005, when a CH-53 Sea Stallion transport helicopter went down in a sandstorm in western Iraq, killing 31 U.S. troops.
Wednesday’s deaths raised to at least 3,721 members of the U.S. military who have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
Attacks target Iraqi security forces
Iraqi security forces also faced more violence in northern Iraq, with a roadside bomb targeting a police patrol in the center of Tikrit, killing one officer and wounding another, along with two civilians, authorities said.
A suicide truck bomber also struck the police directorate in Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad, causing an undetermined number of casualties, police said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
With violence unrelenting, political pressure mounted for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to show progress in bringing Iraq’s battling factions together.
President Bush acknowledged his frustration with Iraqi leaders’ inability to bridge political divisions on Tuesday, but said only the Iraqi people can decide whether to sideline the troubled prime minister.
“Clearly, the Iraqi government’s got to do more,†Bush said at the close of a two-day North American summit with the leaders of Mexico and Canada.
Deadline for progress report fast approaching
The Sept. 15 deadline for Bush’s next progress report to Congress is fast approaching, leaving the president little time to show that his U.S. troop buildup is succeeding in providing the enhanced security the Iraqi leaders need to forge a unified way forward.
U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, co-author of the highly anticipated report to Congress, said Tuesday that Washington’s blueprint for reconciliation was insufficient to win back control of Iraq. Congressional benchmarks such as laws to share oil revenue and reform security services don’t tell the whole story, he said Tuesday.
Crocker and the U.S. military commander, Gen. David Petraeus, may be heading into a storm of discontent as they argue before Congress that American troops need more time in Iraq.
Last week, a stunning suicide bomb attack killed as many as 500 people in northern Iraq, an attack blamed on al-Qaida in Iraq.
Crocker called Iraq’s problems difficult but fixable, arguing for more time for his diplomacy and operations by the bolstered American military force.
© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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