US checking reports helicopter down in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Feb 7 (Reuters) The US military said it was checking reports that a Chinook transport helicopter might have crashed or made an emergency landing near Baghdad today.

Two witnesses in the area, just north of Baghdad, told Reuters they saw a Chinook helicopter come down amid gunfire from the ground.

The witnesses said they had not seen any smoke, adding that US soldiers had moved in to secure the area.

Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Garver, a US military spokesman in Baghdad, said he could not confirm the reports but officials were checking the information.

''We have heard about this ... but I cannot confirm anything at this stage,'' Garver said.

A Chinook has two crew and can carry up to 55 passengers.

They are used widely to transport troops and cargo around Iraq.

The US military said on Sunday it was adjusting its tactics in Iraq after four helicopters were shot down in recent weeks.

Those helicopters were shot down in four separate incidents in which 21 US servicemen and private security contractors were killed.

REUTERS AB RK1545