Iraq: US-led coalition army helicopter crashes near Erbil

A military helicopter from the U.S.-led coalition crashed on Thursday in northern Iraq while making an emergency landing attempt, the coalition said in a statement, adding that no one was hurt. According to early reports from Iraqi security sources, the helicopter crashed in the Makhmour region, roughly 60 kilometres (40 miles) southwest of the Kurdish capital of Erbil. According to a coalition spokesman, the helicopter had “an in-flight mishap” on Thursday while carrying out a normal training operation close to Erbil. The coalition chopper was damaged, but there were no coalition casualties or infrastructure damages, according to the statement. (With agency inputs)