Investigators Probing Whether It Was A Shoot-Down

It's now officially the single most deadly incident suffered by American forces since the war in Iraq started last March. Two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters collided over Mosul Saturday, killing 17 soldiers. Witnesses say at least one of the aircraft was hit by ground fire.

But the military isn't ready to say that just yet. Col. William M. Darley, speaking for the military in Baghdad, said the cause of the crash "will be under intense investigation today" and dismissed ground fire reports as speculation.

All of the victims were members of the 101st Airborne Division, based at Fort Campbell (KY). Officials say one helicopter carried a rapid reaction force on its way to Mosul to investigate the wounding of an American soldier there. The other helo carried soldiers on a ferry mission.

An Iraqi policeman told reporters he saw one of the Black Hawks hit by fire from the ground. "They hit it with a missile," said policeman Saddam Abdel Sattar. "I was in the army. I know these things."

Another witness said he heard gunfire before the helicopters apparently collided. "The Black Hawks were in the air and there was shooting. It was dark and one slammed into the other," said an Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldier who identified himself only as Mahmoud.

Saturday's collision was the most deadly incident in the war so far, surpassing the November 2nd downing of a CH-47 Chinook, which killed 16 soldiers.

FMI: www.army.mil