Official US And Iraqi Reports Conflicting

An apparent midair collision of two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters in northern Baghdad has killed one and injured four soldiers, according to US military reports.

According to US spokesman Lt. Patrick Evans, the helicopters crashed while landing Saturday night at Combat Outpost Ford in Adhamiya, a northern Baghdad neighborhood on the eastern bank of the Tigris River. Enemy fire is not suspected, Lt. Evans said.

The crash killed one Iraqi soldier, and injured two US troops and two Iraqi soldiers. Lt. Evans added that the total number of persons onboard the two Blackhawks was not known at the time.

Two Iraqi Interior Ministry officials also reported a US helicopter crash, but with details significantly different from the US reports, according to CNN.

The Iraqi officials described the downing of a single US helicopter in northeastern Baghdad in Shiite-held Talbiya, resulting from a clash between US-backed Iraqi forces and gunmen that continued late into the night.

The Iraqi spokesmen said casualty figures were unknown because the area is sealed off.

ANN will update this story as more information becomes available.

FMI: www.defenselink.mil