Army Crew Survives Copter Crash in Iraq

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Military.com | July 13, 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A U.S. Army Apache attack helicopter crashed Thursday during a combat patrol southwest of Baghdad, but both pilots survived, the U.S. military said.

The statement did not say what caused the crash nor give a precise location.

However, an Iraqi army official in the area said the helicopter was shot down in the village of Grakoul, located near the town of Youssifiyah about eight miles southwest of Baghdad. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to media.

The names and the conditions of the two pilots were not released, but the statement said they were flown to a U.S. military facility north of the capital.

On April 1, an Apache was shot down near Youssifiyah, killing two crew members. An al-Qaida-linked group claimed responsibility.

A few days later, a videotape was posted on an Islamist Web site showing the crash scene, with several men dragging the burning body of a man across a field while shouting "Allahu akbar," or "God is great!"

Last month, three American soldiers were killed in the same area, and the bodies of two of them were mutilated.

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