U.S. helicopter crashes in Iraq

[Tafari]

U.S. helicopter crashes in Iraq

By Gideon Long: Sun Jan 8, 2006

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A U.S. helicopter crashed in Iraq, killing 12 on board, and five Marines died in a spate of attacks in the west of the country on one of the worst weekends for the U.S. military since the 2003 invasion.

The helicopter came down in a sparsely populated area of northern Iraq shortly before midnight, the military said on Sunday. There were four crew and eight passengers on the manifest to take the flight, they said.

It was the worst incident of its kind since January last year, when a transport helicopter crashed close to the Jordanian border, killing 30 Marines and one sailor.

The Americans did not give a reason for the crash and said it was being investigated. The helicopter was a UH-60 Blackhawk, the most frequently used by the military to transport its 150,000 troops around the country.

The military also said five Marines were killed in and around the western city of Falluja, a hotbed of the largely Sunni Arab insurgency trying to drive the Americans out of Iraq.

Three were killed in three attacks on Sunday, all victims of small arms fire. The other two died on Saturday in two villages near Falluja when their vehicles were hit by improvised bombs.

Near Baghdad, a French hostage was freed after more than a month in captivity.

Iraqi Interior Ministry and police sources said the kidnappers of French engineer Bernard Planche appeared to have panicked when they encountered a U.S. and Iraqi checkpoint while trying to move him from one area to another.

They bundled him out of their car and escaped, they said.

PRESIDENT PLEASED

France confirmed the release and French President Jacques Chirac said he was delighted

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2006-01-08T152347Z_01_DIT854959_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ.xml&rpc=22

[Tafari]

I feel for these young men who died here. 12 puff's of Hashish in respect for the dead. May they find peace and happiness with the lord.

Tafari