BAGHDAD, Iraq – A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter went down in northern Iraq, killing all 12 Americans believed to be aboard, while five U.S. Marines died in weekend attacks, the military said Sunday.
The latest deaths followed an especially bloody week in which about 200 Iraqis and a dozen U.S. troops were killed.
| U.S. military deaths
The latest identifications reported by the U.S. military of personnel recently killed in Iraq: Army Maj. William Hecker, 37, St. Louis; Army Capt. Christopher Petty, 33, Vienna, Va.; Army Sgt. 1st Class Stephen White, 39, Talladega, Ala.; Army Sgt. Johnny Peralez, Jr., 25, Kingsville, Texas; and Army Pvt. Robbie Mariano, 21, Stockton, Calif.; killed Thursday in Najaf when an explosive detonated near their vehicle; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Army Sgt. Jason Lopezreyes, 29, Hatillo, Puerto Rico; and Army Spc. Ryan Walker, 25, Stayton, Ore.; killed Thursday in Baghdad when an explosive detonated near their vehicle; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 76th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. Army Lt. Col. Michael McLaughlin, 44, Mercer, Pa.; killed Thursday in Ramadi by a suicide bomb attack; assigned to the Army National Guard’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, Washington, Pa. |
U.S. military officials said the UH-60 Black Hawk crashed just before midnight Saturday about seven miles east of Tal Afar, a northern city near the Syrian border that has seen heavy fighting with insurgents.
“All (those killed) are believed to be U.S. citizens,” military spokesman Lt. Col. Barry Johnson said. He did not say what caused the crash, but bad weather has plagued most of Iraq.
The Black Hawk was part of a two-helicopter team providing support for the 101st Airborne Division and was flying between bases when communications were lost, the military said. After a search, the helicopter was found about noon Sunday, the military said.
Three Marines were killed Sunday by small arms attacks in Fallujah, the military said. Two other Marines were killed Saturday by roadside bombs in separate incidents, the military said.
In other violence Sunday, five people died in separate attacks in Baghdad, including a police officer killed by a suicide car bomber targeting an Interior Ministry patrol. Seven others were wounded.
Bernard Planche, a French engineer abducted Dec. 5 apparently was released on a Baghdad street by his fleeing captors and recovered by U.S. troops, who turned him over to the French Embassy on Sunday, according to Iraqi police and the French Foreign Ministry in Paris.
Iraqi politicians, meanwhile, claimed headway in forming a stable coalition government following the Dec. 15 elections, whose final results may be released this week. The leader of Iraq’s main Sunni Arab political group said after meeting President Jalal Talabani that significant headway had been made in efforts to form a government of national unity.
“Talabani and I have an identical point of view regarding the formation of a national unity government based on consensus,” Adnan al-Dulaimi said.
Al-Dulaimi confirmed that Iraq’s two Kurdish leaders, Talabani and Kurdistan regional President Massoud Barzani, have been mediating with other groups to form a coalition government.
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