A written statement issued Friday by the Pentagon said that none of the seven service members aboard a helicopter which crashed in Iraq survived.
U.S. officials said that the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter had crashed a day earlier, even though the incident did not appear to be the result of enemy activity. The Pentagon added that it is investigating the crash.
“This tragedy reminds us of the risks our men and women face every day in service of our nations. We are thinking of the loved ones of these service members today,” said U.S. Army Brigadier General Jonathan P. Braga, director of operations in the fight against IS in Iraq and Syria.
“While the investigation is still ongoing, there is absolutely no reason to believe this involved enemy action,” said Colonel Thomas Veale, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State. “All indications are this was an accident during a routine troop movement.”
ABC News reported that the helicopter was used by the Air Force for combat search and rescue. At the time when it crashed near the town of Qaim in Anbar Province, it was in transit from one location to another. According to the Pentagon, another U.S. helicopter was accompanying it and immediately reported the crash after which a quick-reaction force comprised of Iraqi security forces and Coalition members secured the scene.
The Pentagon’s statement added that the names of those killed will be released after next of kin have been notified.
The U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria have an outpost in Qaim, which is located near the Syrian border. The anti-IS campaign accelerated through much of last year, as coalition and Iraqi forces battled to take back a string of cities and towns.
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