US Black Hawk helicopter crashes in Iraq
An American Black Hawk helicopter was shot down near the Iraqi town of Tikrit Saturday, injuring one member of the crew, according to witnesses.
The Black Hawk was flanked by another helicopter when it crashed. The second aircraft landed in a field near an American base where the wounded crew member was rescued.
The helicopter was reportedly brought to ground by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) but a US military spokesman said the helicopter came under fire only after it had landed.
Tikrit, the home town of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, has been the scene of continued fighting against US forces.
Separately, near the flashpoint city of Fallujah, three civilians were killed and two wounded when their convoy came under fire.
An American engineer and an Iraqi security guard said US troops shot at their vehicles. The US military rejected the claims.
