US helicopter goes down in Baghdad
A US transport helicopter went down today near an air base west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the military said.
The CH-47 Chinook helicopter was conducting a routine post-maintenance test flight when it went down near Taqaddum air base, said 1st Lt Shawn Mercer, a Marine spokesman.
He said emergency response crews had sealed off the site and the cause was being investigated.
The statement provided no information about how many people were on the helicopter or their status.
The air base is about 45 miles west of Baghdad in restive Anbar province, a Sunni insurgent stronghold that has become calmer in recent months as tribal leaders have joined forces against al-Qaida in Iraq.
