Nine Die in Iraq Chopper, Possible Missile Strike: "Nine U.S. soldiers were killed Thursday when a Black Hawk helicopter went down in Iraq and dozens more had a narrow escape from a suspected missile strike that caused a huge C-5 transport plane to make an emergency landing.
... One local man who said he witnessed the incident told Reuters Television that the helicopter was in flames before it crashed. Some news reports said it appeared to have been struck by a rocket. U.S. spokesmen said an investigation was still in progress."

"The deaths brought to at least 495 the number of Americans killed in Iraq from hostile and non-hostile causes since the start of the war in March, according to the U.S. Central Command and the Department of Defense," reports AP.
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