BAGHDAD, Jan. 8 Kyodo (EDS: UPDAT...

BAGHDAD, Jan. 8 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH ADDITIONAL DETAILS)

A U Black Hawk helicopter went down Thursday afternoon in central Iraq and all nine U soldiers aboard were killed, the U military said.

Brig. Gen Mark Kimmit said the helicopter made an conjuncture landing while on a routine service about 6 kilometers southwest of Fallujah, where insurgents have downed couple other U.S. helicopters in latter months.

The Qatar-based satellite television network Al-Jazeera quot a witness as saying that the helicopter was attacked on a surface-to-air missile.

The crash is the deadliest since mid-November when sum of two units Black Hawk helicopters collided near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul killing 17 soldiers.

In a separate incident, a U logistic base west of Baghdad came below mortar attacks Wednesday evening, killing a soldier and injuring 34 others. U military officials said they believe about six sphericals of mortar were fired at the base.

Fallujah, located in the so-called Sunni Triangle with hale anti-U.S. sentiments, was the view of two other helicopter crash in novel months.

Two U soldiers were killed in an attack in succession a helicopter last Friday. Sixteen soldiers were killed in early November when a large transport helicopter came in subordination to attack over the area.

Attacks onward U.S. military bases in the area have been increasing in new months.

The U has been conducting tough anti-insurgency operations in the area, sometimes attacking innocent civilians and flaring up anti-U.S. sentiment further.

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