2 pilots killed in Iraq army chopper crash

By Ibrahim Salih

BAGHDAD (AA) - Two Iraqi military pilots were killed Wednesday when their helicopter crashed in northern Iraq, according to a Defense Ministry source.

The aircraft went down in the Al-Buaiji area of Iraq’s northern Saladin province, the source said, going on to attribute the crash to a "technical error".

"The two pilots on board were killed on the spot," the source said, speaking anonymously as he was unauthorized to talk to the media.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry confirmed the crash but refrained from providing additional details.

The Iraqi army, backed by U.S.-led coalition warplanes and local allies on the ground, is currently engaged in a major campaign to oust Daesh terrorists from the northern city of Mosul.

Daesh overran Mosul -- once considered Iraq’s second largest city in terms of population -- in 2014.