US-led coalition helicopter crashes during a non-combat mission near Iraq's Erbil
US-led coalition helicopter crashes during a non-combat mission near Iraq's Erbil
The US-led coalition in Iraq on Thursday announced crashing a helicopter in a non-combat mission near Erbil.
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The US-led coalition in Iraq on Thursday announced crashing a helicopter in a non-combat mission near Erbil. [Getty]
A helicopter belonging to the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq crashed Thursday in an "in-flight mishap" near Erbil, the capital city of the northern Iraqi Kurdistan region, the coalition said in a statement.
"At approximately 12:15 p.m., Coalition service members conducting a routine helicopter training mission experienced an in-flight mishap near Erbil, Iraq, July 27, 2023," the coalition clarified.
"There were no Coalition casualties nor damage to coalition or civilian infrastructure. The Coalition aircraft was damaged. "The coalition is working with the Government of Iraq to secure the site and ensure safety for the civilian populace. An assessment of the situation is ongoing," the statement added.
The Iraqi federal government, in late 2021, announced the end of the coalition's combat role. Currently, there are nearly 2,500 US troops and an additional 1,000 from other member countries in the coalition remaining in the country, with a mission to train and advise local security forces.
— Operation Inherent Resolve (@CJTFOIR) July 27, 2023
The coalition forces are stationed at bases run by Iraqi troops. This includes the Ain Al-Asad base in Anbar province, Camp Victory near Baghdad's international airport, and Harir airbase in Erbil, the capital city of the northern Kurdistan region.
ISIS proclaimed itself as a 'caliphate' following a meteoric rise in Iraq and Syria in 2014 that saw it conquer vast swathes of territory.
The US-led coalition helped defeat ISIS in Iraq in 2017 and Syria two years later, but sleeper cells of the extremist group still carry out attacks in both countries.
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