A final and very sad update to this story.
The New York Times is reporting that all seven service members aboard the military helicopter that crashed in Western Iraq have died.
“The crash is under investigation but is not believed to be a result of enemy action.”
The Defense Department will not release the names of those killed until their families have been notified.
Brig. Gen. Jonathan P. Braga, the director of operations for the American-led coalition battling the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria:
This tragedy reminds us of the risks our men and women face every day in service of our nation…We are thinking of the loved ones of these service members today.
Update II:
The New York Times is reporting:
• Some of the seven service members aboard the helicopter have been killed.
• It is unclear why the Pave Hawk helicopter went down. Ground fire has not been ruled out.
• According to one official, the helicopter was not on a combat operation but was ferrying troops.
• Rescue personnel had been deployed.
The HH-60 is a modified version of the Black Hawk helicopter. It is often flown by the Air Force for medical evacuation missions, and is used by Special Operations pararescue specialists.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the dead, the injured and their loved ones.
Update I:
It is now reported that the helicopter that crashed in western Iraq is an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter with seven people board, all U.S. Air Force airmen.
This post has been corrected accordingly.
Original Post:
A grim reminder that we still have our fighting men and women in harm’s way in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere.
The Pentagon is reporting that a US military helicopter has crashed on the Iraq-Syria border. The crash is believed to have happened in the Anbar region of Iraq, according to the Military Times.
Newsweek reports that details remain unclear about the crash, however, early figures place the casualty count around seven.
This post will be updated.
Lead image: An HH-60 Pave Hawk on the flightline at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Feb. 13, 2017. U.S. Air Force file
