Two U.S. Pilots Killed In Iraq Helicopter Collision

There have been 2,160 American troop casualties in Iraq (CTK) 27 December 2005 -- Two U.S. military pilots were killed when their AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed in Baghdad last night following a mid-air collision with another Apache.

U.S. defense officials made the announcement today.


The twin-engine Apache, which carries a crew of two, is the U.S. Army's primary attack helicopter. Officials at the Pentagon said the second helicopter involved in the collision landed at a base in Taji, north of Baghdad. The officials were unable to say if weather was a factor in the nighttime crash.


The incident is under investigation.


Several U.S.-led forces have been killed in helicopter crashes since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, some in accidents and some after being fired on by insurgents with shoulder-fired missiles or small arms.


(Reuters)

Iraqi Election Poster

Iraqi Election Poster


Click on the poster for an enlarged image.


The Iraqi Independent Electoral Commission issued posters in Arabic and the two dialects of Kurdish on the allocation of National Assembly seats by governorate for the 15 December National Assembly election. The poster says, "230 seats for the governorates, as well as 45 compensatory and national seats," while the corresponding map shows the breakdown of seats by governorate.

For more background on the election, click here .




For a complete archive of RFE/RL coverage, background, and analysis of the December 15, 2005, legislative elections, click here.