Two US Army Black Hawk helicopters crashed in this northern Iraqi city on Saturday, the military said. Witnesses said the two aircraft collided in mid-air.
A military spokesman said the two helicopters belonged to the 101st Airborne Division, which controls northern Iraq. The spokesman did not comment on the cause of the crash or possible casualties.
Witnesses said the helicopters came down in Borsa, a residential neighborhood in Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city.
"I was leaving the mosque and I heard a boom," said Hani, a witness who only gave his first name. He said two helicopters collided in mid-air before one crashed onto the roof of a house. He said he did not know what happened to the other aircraft.
"The crash site has been secured by the U.S. military, Iraqi police and firefighters," said the military spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Sixteen US service members were killed on November 2nd when a Chinook helicopter carrying dozens of soldiers on leave was apparently downed by insurgents near the city of Fallujah west of Baghdad.
A Black Hawk helicopter was shot down on November 7th near the central town of Tikrit, killing all six soldiers aboard.