BAGHDAD — The U.S. military in Baghdad said Tuesday it was investigating what appeared to be the crash of a civilian aircraft after reports a helicopter was shot down over a volatile Sunni area in the capital.
The military said it had no evidence any U.S. forces aircraft were involved but was investigating “what appears to be a crashed civilian aircraft.”
Most aircraft used in Iraq belong to the coalition forces, but at least one private U.S. security company flies small helicopters above VIP convoys in Baghdad.
“We are in the process of determining the facts and checking on the welfare and status of those involved,” U.S. Embassy spokesman Lou Fintor said, confirming the investigation.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was still underway, said there was no indication any U.S. Embassy staff or diplomats were on the aircraft.
The military statement followed a report on a television station run by the hard-line Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party that a U.S. helicopter was shot down during clashes in the al-Fadhl district in eastern Baghdad, about a half-mile from Al-Mustansiriya University.
It also came after a senior U.S. military official said Monday that there was evidence that an Army helicopter that crashed northeast of Baghdad over the weekend may have been shot down.
Searchers at the scene found a tube that could be part of a shoulder-fired weapon that may have been used to shoot down the aircraft, said the official, who requested anonymity because the investigation was still continuing.
Col. David Sutherland, commander of U.S. forces in the Iraqi province of Diyala, has said the crash is still under investigation.
