All seven service members aboard a US helicopter that crashed in Iraq on Thursday were killed, the Pentagon said Friday. The crash did not appear to be the result of enemy activity and is under investigation, the Pentagon said. The helicopter was used by the Air Force for combat search and rescue, and was in transit from one location to another when it went down in the afternoon near the town of Qaim in Anbar Province, per the AP. The names of those killed will be released after next of kin have been notified.
The Pentagon said an accompanying US helicopter immediately reported the crash and a quick-reaction force comprised of Iraqi security forces and coalition members secured the scene. The US-led coalition battling the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has an outpost in Qaim, which is located near the Syrian border. The anti-ISIS campaign accelerated through much of last year, as coalition and Iraqi forces battled to take back a string of cities and towns.
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