Accessibility links

Breaking News

Two U.S. Soldiers Killed In Helicopter Accident


10 December 2004 -- The U.S. military today said two U.S. soldiers were killed and four wounded in an accident involving two helicopters in northern Iraq. It said the accident happened yesterday evening but gave no further details.

Also today, a U.S. soldier pleaded guilty at a court martial in Baghdad to murdering a severely wounded Iraqi civilian.

Staff Sergeant Johnny Horne was convicted of the murder of Kassim Hassan on 18 August in Baghdad's Al-Sadr city.

Horne told the court he shot unarmed Hassan in the head "to put him out of his misery."

Horne is expected to be sentenced later today.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) today expressed concern about civilians in Al-Fallujah, where sewage is flowing in the streets and hundreds of bodies have apparently been laying in a cold-storage facility since a U.S. assault.

Spokesman Florian Westphal said the Red Cross will provide tools and equipment to carry out basic repairs on damaged water-treatment facilities and the sewage system.

U.S. estimates say some 1,600 rebels, including foreign Islamists and Iraqi Sunni Arab nationalists, were killed in Al-Fallujah.

(agencies)

For more on events in Iraq, see RFE/RL's dedicated "The New Iraq" webpage.

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG