Two die in downing of U.S. copter in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A U.S. AH-64 Apache attack helicopter went down north of Baghdad on Monday, killing two crew members aboard, the U.S. military said.

It was the third time in 10 days that a U.S. helicopter has gone down in Iraq.

The helicopter was being used by the Army's Task Force Iron Horse, a military official said. The names of the dead are being withheld pending notification of relatives.

In a written statement, the military said it was "premature to determine the cause of the crash," which was in a swampy area north of Taji about 18 miles (29 kilometers) north of Baghdad.

Since the beginning of the Iraq war, 2,219 U.S. troops have been killed.

A video clip showing a helicopter crashing after a missile strike has been posted on Islamist Web sites that typically have messages from insurgents in Iraq. In the clip, the group Mujahedeen Army claims responsibility for shooting down an Apache helicopter "belonging to the American enemy."

The claim of responsibility says the craft was shot down Sunday but gives Monday's date.

CNN cannot independently authenticate when or where the video was shot.

Two U.S. pilots were killed Friday when their OH-58D Kiowa helicopter was shot down near the northern city of Mosul, and 12 people -- eight of them soldiers -- were killed January 7 when a UH-60 Black Hawk crashed in northern Iraq. >>>CONT

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