US helicopter makes emergency landing in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AFP) - A US military helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing during a raid south of Baghdad on Friday, injuring two soldiers, but the cause of the incident was not clear, the military said.

"During an early morning raid August 10, a US helicopter executed a forced landing in Yusifiyah, ten miles (25 kilometres) south of Baghdad, while supporting a planned mission," the military said.

Two American soldiers were injured in the landing but their condition was described as "non-life threatening."

"Initial reports from ground forces do not clearly identify the cause of the mishap while in transit to the proposed target," the military said.

Yusifiyah is a notorious insurgent stronghold along the Euphrates river, where two US soldiers were captured and killed in June 2006 -- an attack claimed by Al-Qaeda led militants.

At least a dozen US helicopters have crashed in Iraq this year, most of them due to insurgent attacks.