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US helicopter 'down in Baghdad' US soldiers die in Baghdad bomb
(10 minutes later)
A US military helicopter has crashed in the centre of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, local police have said. Three US soldiers have been killed in a roadside bombing in Baghdad, the US military has said.
There are reports of clashes at the scene, and the area is believed to have been sealed off. Another was wounded in Monday's attack on the unit, which the military said had been carrying out raids locally.
A spokesman for the US military in Iraq said the reports were being checked, but could give no further information. In a separate incident, a US spokeswoman denied reports that a US helicopter had crashed in the centre of the Iraqi capital.
In a separate incident, three US soldiers died on Monday when a bomb exploded near their patrol in Baghdad, the US military said. Iraqi police reported clashes around the scene of the apparent incident, saying the US had sealed the area off.
But Lieutenant Colonel Josslyn Aberle told AFP news agency the aircraft had not gone down.
"We had an incident. A helicopter took small arms fire but returned safely to the base," she said.
"The pilot had control all the time. It happened somewhere in Baghdad. We are still gathering details."
The US has lost more than 50 military helicopters in Iraq since the 2001 invasion with the loss of a number of soldiers.
Last Thursday, a helicopter came down in the south of the country after apparently coming under heavy fire from insurgents.