US Air Force names seven men killed in Iraq helicopter crash

A US official noted there were no indications that the helicopter was brought down by hostile fire.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The United States Air Force on Saturday identified the seven individuals who died in a helicopter crash in western Iraq earlier in the week.

The seven men killed in the crash were Mark Weber, 29; Dashan Briggs, 30; Carl Enis, 31; William Posch, 36; Andreas O’Keeffe, 37; Christopher Zanetis, 37; and Christopher Raguso, 39.

In an earlier announcement, the US Department of Defense had revealed that there were no survivors from the incident.

On Thursday, Iraq’s security agency explained in a statement that the aircraft belonged to “the Global Coalition, which was providing support for our forces in the area of al-Qaim.”

“Preliminary information indicates that its fall was a result of a technical defect and an investigation is underway,” the report added.

US Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk. (Photo: Archive)
US Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk. (Photo: Archive)

The aircraft was an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter which crashed in Anbar Province close to the Syrian border, US officials told Reuters.

One of the officials noted that it was “likely” there were fatalities and that so far, there were no indications that the helicopter was brought down by hostile fire.

In a separate statement, the US Central Command confirmed that an American military aircraft carrying US service members had fallen in al-Qaim.

The military said a second accompanying US helicopter had immediately reported to the scene of the crash as Iraqi security forces and coalition members secured the area.

The US currently has 5,200 troops in Iraq, part of the US-led coalition’s ongoing war against the Islamic State. Iraq declared victory over the extremist group in December 2017.