U.S. Helicopter Crashes in Iraq, Killing 9 Troops

An American Black Hawk helicopter crashed Thursday in this stronghold of Iraqi resistance west of Fallouja, killing all nine soldiers on board, U.S. military officials said.

The crash -- the latest in a string of deadly helicopter incidents and the worst since the collision of two military helicopters Nov. 15 in Mosul that killed 17 soldiers -- occurred about 2:20 p.m. in an area of potato farms and date palms. Witnesses said two U.S. helicopters were flying in formation when the rear craft was struck by a rocket and plummeted to the ground, breaking into several pieces.

A military spokesman said the helicopter was on a medical evacuation flight. Several witnesses said the Black Hawk bore medical insignia.

Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said that the helicopter was on a routine mission and that the cause of the crash was under investigation. He did not release the names of those killed but said all were believed to be Americans.

The crash followed another night of violence in Fallouja, including rocket attacks on a hospital and a firefight between U.S. soldiers and two unidentified men. The region, known as the Sunni Triangle, is the heart of resistance for Saddam Hussein loyalists and is dangerous terrain for U.S. troops. Attacks against American forces in the area have decreased in recent weeks, but military officials say the insurgents have refined their tactics to make the strikes more lethal.

Another indication of that was highlighted Wednesday night when an Air Force C-5 transport plane taking off from Baghdad was reportedly hit by a surface-to-air missile. The plane -- carrying 60 passengers and crew -- was forced to return to the airport after what one official described as an in-flight emergency. Kimmitt said no soldiers were injured, and the incident was under investigation.

A DHL cargo plane was hit by a rocket in November and forced to make an emergency landing. The crew was unhurt.

The downing of the Black Hawk on Thursday brought glee to many in Naaimiya, a hamlet of farmhouses along a twisting road where men stroll with assault weapons at their sides.

The helicopter “flipped three times, and metal pieces scattered when it hit the ground,” said Samir Mohammed, standing beyond the crash site, which U.S. soldiers had secured by nightfall. “Our traditions and our beliefs tell us not to accept occupiers here.”

Mohammed said his enthusiasm was tempered by seeing the medical insignia on the downed craft. “I would prefer if it was another type of helicopter,” he said.

Sabbah Chanon, a farmer, said: “The majority of people will be happy. This will intimidate the Americans.”

He added that immediately after the crash, several residents converged on the site and carried away a pistol and the photograph of a young girl.

“We’re proud,” said another witness, Jassim Hamid.

Aboard Air Force One, as President Bush flew to Knoxville, Tenn., on Thursday morning, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said: “The president is saddened any time we lose men and women in the military.... Our thoughts and prayers are always with the families and loved ones of those who lose their lives, sacrificing to make the world a better place.”

Since November, nearly 50 American soldiers have been killed in attacks on seven helicopters north and west of Baghdad. The highest number of casualties occurred Nov. 1, when insurgents shot down a Chinook, killing 16 soldiers, and Nov. 15 in Mosul, when two Black Hawks under enemy fire collided and 17 U.S. troops died.

Kimmitt said that in the wake of each attack, the U.S. military has adjusted its plans and strategies in attempts to outmaneuver an enemy that has also been adapting as the months go by.

Our pilots, said Kimmitt, “make conscious decisions of risks they’re taking and get back into the air.”

U.S. forces also reported that one soldier died of injuries after a Wednesday night mortar attack on the 3rd Corps Support Command’s logistical base in Balad. About 30 soldiers were wounded when at least six mortar rounds struck the compound about 50 miles north of Baghdad. Ten were still being treated, and 20 had returned to their units.

At the Abu Ghraib prison on the desolate outskirts of Baghdad, there was confusion and frustration Thursday over a U.S. plan to release more than 500 detainees. L. Paul Bremer III, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, announced a day earlier that prisoners believed to present little threat would be released in a goodwill effort.

Hundreds of family members arrived at the prison, awaiting relatives some had not seen for six months. But no prisoners were immediately forthcoming.

Hours later, about 80 men emerged from behind the prison walls, but U.S. officials would not say if this was part of the amnesty program or a routine release of detainees arrested days earlier by coalition forces.

Thirteen more Iraqis were arrested Thursday as more than 300 U.S. soldiers raided 20 houses and three shops in Tikrit, wire services reported. The four-hour operation, backed by helicopters, was a hunt for suspects in attacks on coalition troops.

Nine of those arrested were turned over to Iraqi police after they were found to have played no role in the attacks.

The troops found several wireless doorbell sets, which often are used to detonate homemade bombs, and a stack of fake Iraqi police identity cards.

When asked to clarify the situation at Abu Ghraib, coalition spokesman Dan Senor said only that the U.S. was ready to release 100 detainees under the amnesty program.

He indicated that U.S. authorities were awaiting word from tribal leaders to take responsibility for the prisoners. The amnesty agreement calls for community leaders to monitor a detainee’s activity. “We’re waiting for the guarantors to step forward,” Senor said.

The ordeal puzzled Wahed Hamdi, who was waiting outside the prison, hoping that the announced amnesty would free his brother, who was arrested in a raid months ago by U.S. forces in Balad.

“We just heard the news and came,” he said.

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Times staff writer Edwin Chen in Knoxville and Raheem Salman in The Times’ Baghdad Bureau contributed to this report.