U.S. helicopter downed north of Baghdad

[sonz]

A U.S. military helicopter was shot down by a rocket north of the Iraqi capital on Monday, and the fate of its two-man crew is unknown, BBC reported.

Reports say the helicopter was shot down in Mishadah, 30 kilometers north of Baghdad.

"A task force Ironside helicopter did go down this morning at 8:20 am (0520 GMT), a U.S. military spokesman said.

"The status of the two-man crew is unknown at the moment,” he added.

Witnesses said the helicopter was hit by a rocket, but the U.S. army said it is investigating the cause of the incident.

The number of fatal U.S. military helicopter crashes in IRAQ has spiked in recent weeks. Two American pilots were killed last Friday when their reconnaissance helicopter was shot down near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

Earlier this month, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter went down near the town of Tal Afar, in north-western IRAQ, killing all 12 on board in one of the worst incidents for U.S. forces since the WAR began.

More than 2,200 U.S. soldiers have been killed in IRAQ since the March 2003 U.S.-led INVASION.