5 die in Iraq chopper crash
24/01/2007 13:05  - (SA)  

Give Iraq plan a chance - Bush US image around world worsens US troop deaths surge in Iraq 13 US men die in chopper crash 34 000 Iraqis killed in 2006

Baghdad - A US security company helicopter crashed as it flew over a dangerous Sunni neighbourhood in central Baghdad, and a US official said five American civilians on board were killed.

A senior Iraqi military official said on Tuesday the aircraft was shot down, but this was disputed by a US military official in Washington.

The Iraqi said the helicopter was hit by a machine gunner over the Fadhil neighbourhood on the east side of the Tigris River, while the US official said there was no indication in initial reports that the aircraft, owned by Blackwater USA, had been shot down. The Americans said they did not know what caused the aircraft to crash.

A US official in Baghdad also said there was no information to substantiate reports that the bodies had been shot. All the officials demanded anonymity because the details had not been made public.

Blackwater USA confirmed that five Americans employed by the North Carolina-based company as security professionals were killed. The statement did not provide identities or any details of the fighting.

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