U.S. Helicopter Shot Down in Iraq; Pilots Rescued

Published January 13, 2015

Insurgents shot down a U.S. military helicopter south of Baghdad, and the two pilots were rescued with minor injuries, the military said Tuesday.

The OH-58D Kiowa Attack helicopter was brougt down by ground fire on Monday. After an Apache helicopter rescued the two pilots, a U.S. warplane dropped two 500-pound, laser-guided bombs on the downed craft to destroy it, the military said in a statement.

It gave no further details on the location of the crash and said the incident was under investigation.

Meanwhile, two Marines died in a "non-hostile related" accident in Iraq's western Anbar province, the military said.

The two died on Sunday in the accident, which took place while they were conducting operations in Anbar, the military statement said. It did not give details on the accident.

The military did not identify the dead, pending notification of their families.

The deaths brought to 3,585 the number of members of the U.S. military who have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,940 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

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https://www.foxnews.com/story/u-s-helicopter-shot-down-in-iraq-pilots-rescued