Baghdad: A US military helicopter crashed near Salman Pak, 25 kilometres southeast of Baghdad today, the American military announced, without giving details of any casualties.

"An investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the incident," a statement said.
"However, initial reports indicate the crash was not the result of enemy fire," it added. "We are at the stage of rescue recovery operations. We have no further details at this stage. This is a very, very initial report," US military spokesman Specialist Charles Espie told AFP.

The crash is the first by a US helicopter in Iraq since August 22,when 14 American soldiers were killed in northern Iraq after their Blackhawk came down during a pre-dawn flight.

American forces in Iraq make constant use of a huge fleet of helicopters, and are dependent on them to avoid roadside bombs laid by insurgents and militia fighters.
The deadliest single US chopper crash was on November 15, 2003,when two Blackhawks collided near Mosul in northern Iraq, killing 17 soldiers.

In January and February this year there was a spate of crashes, including some shot down by an insurgent cell which deployed anti-aircraft crews north of Baghdad. US forces have since hunted down those gunners.

Source : PTI