US, Iraq officials say US military helicopter crashes near Tikrit in Iraq; casualties unknown

Officials: US helicopter crashes in Iraq

BAGHDAD — U.S. and Iraqi officials say an American military helicopter has crashed near Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit.

It was not clear whether there were any casualties in the Sunday morning crash and the U.S. military had no immediate comment.

A U.S. official says the crash is believed to have been an accident rather than the result of hostile fire.

An Iraqi army officer from the area says the helicopter went down around 4:30 a.m. amid rainy and windy weather.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not officially authorized to discuss the case.