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WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2007 – A Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter that went down in Iraq’s Anbar province Feb. 7 most likely experienced a mechanical failure, the director of operations for the Joint Staff told Pentagon reporters today. Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute said early indications show the crash, which killed seven crewmembers and passengers, resulted from a mechanical malfunction. Lute said eyewitness accounts factored with considerations about the type of aircraft, its flight pattern and other early indicators, led to that conclusion. “So the response of the aircraft leads the people on the ground to believe, early...

CAIRO, Egypt - The U.S. military said Wednesday a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter went down about 20 miles northwest of Baghdad, while an Iraqi air force officer said it was downed by an anti-aircraft missile. Al-Qaida-linked Sunni insurgents claimed responsibility for the alleged attack. The claim was issued in an Internet statement signed by the Islamic State in Iraq, an umbrella group of several Sunni insurgent groups, including al-Qaida in Iraq. The authenticity of the statement -- posted on a Web forum where the group often issues statements -- could not be independently confirmed.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A Sea Knight helicopter crashed Wednesday in an insurgent stronghold northwest of Baghdad, killing all seven people on board, the military said, the fifth chopper lost in Iraq in just over two weeks. A senior U.S. defense official said the helicopter did not appear to have been hit by hostile fire, but an Iraqi air force officer said it was downed by an anti-aircraft missile and an al-Qaida-linked Sunni group claimed responsibility for the downing. The Iraqi air force officer, who was familiar with the investigation but declined to be identified because he was disclosing...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2007 – All seven crewmembers and passengers were killed when a Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter went down in Iraq’s Anbar province this morning, a senior U.S. military officer based in Baghdad confirmed today. Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, told reporters the helicopter went down about 20 miles northwest of Baghdad. The helicopter and its crew were conducting routine operations, military officials said. The servicemembers’ names are being withheld pending notification of next of kin. Caldwell would not comment on the possible causes of the incident. “The investigation is...