Chopper attack, bombs kill 8 U.S. troops in Iraq
"Iraq"05/29/2007
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Eight U.S. troops were slain in Iraq on Monday in a deadly chain of events that began when a U.S. helicopter crashed, apparently shot down by small-arms fire, according to a U.S. military official.
A military vehicle rushing to the helicopter crash site was hit by an exploding roadside bomb, and a second "quick-reaction force" vehicle also was hit, the official said.
The two pilots of the Kiowa helicopter were killed in the crash; six soldiers died in the bombings of the two vehicles, and three others were injured.
The eight Memorial Day deaths occurred in volatile Diyala province between Baquba and Muqdadiya, the U.S. military announced on Tuesday.
The statement said all of those killed were from Task Force Lightning, the force that patrols northern stretches of Iraq, including Diyala.
U.S. commanders have expressed concern about a rise in violence and the growing presence of al Qaeda in Iraq militants, who have fled to Diyala from other regions of the country.
The U.S. death toll for May has risen to 112, making it the deadliest month so far this year.
The highest monthly death tolls for U.S. troops occurred in 2004 -- 137 in November and 135 in April.
Since the start of the war, 3,456 U.S. service members have died. Seven civilian contractors of the Defense Department also have been killed in the war.
Abductions at Finance Ministry
On Tuesday, three people were kidnapped from an Iraq Finance Ministry building on Palestine Street in north-central Baghdad, according to sources at the Interior and Finance ministries.
There were conflicting reports about the nationalities of those kidnapped.
The British Foreign Office is checking into reports that Britons were among those abducted.
The Associated Press reported that the victims were German, citing an Iraqi government official. The German Foreign Ministry told the AP that it was checking into the report.
Meanwhile, two car bombs rocked separate areas of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 38 people, an Interior Ministry official said.
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