Iraq Helicopter Crash Kills 14 US Troops

[Nomad559]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2153819,00.html

The US army in Iraq today suffered its most deadly helicopter crash in more than two years when 14 soldiers were killed in an accident blamed on mechanical failure.
The blow came as the US president, George Bush, and the American ambassador to Iraq both stepped up the criticism of the country's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, for failing to clamp down on sectarian violence.

The US military said all four crew and 10 passengers died on board the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter when it came down during a night-time operation.

There was no indication that the aircraft - one of a pair on the operation - was hit by hostile fire, according to a military statement.

An investigation was launched to determine the full cause of the crash, which was the worst such incident since January 2005 when a transport helicopter came down in a sandstorm in western Iraq, killing 31 US troops.