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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Iraq crash kills 14 US soldiers | Iraq crash kills 14 US soldiers |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Fourteen US soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash overnight in northern Iraq, the US military has said. | Fourteen US soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash overnight in northern Iraq, the US military has said. |
| The Black Hawk helicopter carrying 10 soldiers and four crewmembers crashed after experiencing a mechanical malfunction, a US statement said. | The Black Hawk helicopter carrying 10 soldiers and four crewmembers crashed after experiencing a mechanical malfunction, a US statement said. |
| There were reportedly no indications of hostile fire, but the cause of the crash is still under investigation. | |
| It was the deadliest helicopter crash since January, when another Black Hawk went down in Diyala province. | |
| MAJOR US LOSSES IN IRAQ 2 Nov 03: Chinook helicopter downed near Falluja, killing 1615 Nov 03: Two Black Hawk helicopters collide avoiding ground fire in Mosul, killing 1721 Dec 04: Suicide bomb at military base in Mosul kills 1926 Jan 05: CH-53E helicopter crashes in West Iraq, killing 313 Aug 05: Roadside blast near Haditha kills 14 marines1 Dec 05: Ten marines killed by roadside bomb near Falluja20 Jan 07: Black Hawk crashes near Tal Afar, killing 1224 Apr 07: Suicide bombing of base near Baquba kills nine22 Aug 07: Black Hawk helicopter crashes in northern Iraq, killing 14 soldiers | |
| The worst US helicopter crash in Iraq was in January 2005, when 30 marines and a sailor were killed when a Super Stallion came down in bad weather near the Jordanian border. | |
| The 14 soldiers killed on Wednesday were part of Task Force Lightening. | The 14 soldiers killed on Wednesday were part of Task Force Lightening. |
| A second Black Hawk helicopter had been flying alongside them at the time. | A second Black Hawk helicopter had been flying alongside them at the time. |
| It is not known precisely where the helicopter crashed, but the statement was issued by Multinational Division-North, which is based in Tikrit. | It is not known precisely where the helicopter crashed, but the statement was issued by Multinational Division-North, which is based in Tikrit. |
| The BBC's Mike Wooldridge in Baghdad says the fairly frequent losses of helicopters over the past four years has demonstrated the dependence of US forces on them and their vulnerability. |