Army: Enemy fire caused copter collision in Iraq (last month)

Source: AP
FORT DRUM, N.Y. � The military now says enemy fire caused two U.S. Army helicopters to collide in Iraq last month, killing four American pilots.

The Defense Department initially had said the crashes of the two aircraft Jan. 26 near Kirkuk didn"t appear to have been caused by an attack. But on Thursday, the Army said that evidence revealed that the Kiowa Warrior helicopters had collided while trying to evade enemy fire.

"The two OH-58D helicopters were engaged and struck by hostile fire while conducting a reconnaissance mission," Fort Drum spokeswoman Julie Cupernall said Friday.

The investigation continues, Cupernall said. A Sunni nationalist group had claimed responsibility for the helicopter attack in a posting on an extremist Web site.
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