Another bad afternoon for imperialism and its cannon fodder

By MARIAM FAM, Associated Press Writer
MOSUL, Iraq - Two U.S. Black Hawks crashed after sunset Saturday in this northern Iraqi city, killing 12 coalition soldiers and injuring at least nine, the military said. Witnesses said the two aircraft collided in mid-air.

One of the helicopters was hit in the tail by a rocket propelled grenade (RPG), a U.S. officer at the scene said.
The helicopters came down in a residential area, although one ambulance driver said there were no civilian casualties.
Witnesses said the helicopters collided mid-air.
"Initial reports say there were 12 killed coalition personnel in action and nine wounded," said the military spokesman, speaking in Baghdad.
He had no details on nationalities of the victims. The two Black Hawks were attached to the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division and crashed just after dark.
"I know one of the helicopters was hit by an RPG on the tail wing," said a U.S. officer in Mosul, who declined to be identified.
Sirens wailed and U.S. soldiers kept reporters away from the scene. A rapid reaction force secured the area and was investigating, military officials said.
Local resident Mohammad Badran said the two helicopters collided after an explosion.
"I was watching TV when I heard a large explosion," he said. "I looked outside the window and saw two helicopters. One was flying low and was on fire. The other was higher up. The first one climbed and hit the higher one. They crashed in separate areas."
FRONTLINE CHOPPER
The Black Hawk is the U.S. Army's frontline utility helicopter, designed to carry 11 combat-ready assault troops, and is also used for medical evacuations.
The U.S. military said the helicopters crashed in the west of the city at approximately 6:30 p.m. (1530 GMT).
Three U.S. helicopters have been shot down in Iraq (news - web sites) in the past three weeks for an overall loss of 22 lives.
In the deadliest single strike on American troops since the start of the war to oust Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), a U.S. Chinook helicopter was shot down west of Baghdad on November 2, killing 16 soldiers.
Five days later a U.S. Black Hawk was shot down near Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, killing all six people aboard.
On October 25, guerrillas brought down a Black Hawk in Tikrit, hitting one of its engines with an RPG. The helicopter made an emergency landing and all five crew members escaped before it was engulfed in flames.

Insurgents now mounting some 30 attacks a day have killed 160 U.S. soldiers in Iraq since President Bush (news - web sites) declared major combat over on May 1. U.S. forces in Baghdad have hit back with "Operation Iron Hammer" for the past three days, using air strikes to destroy buildings they say were used by insurgents.
(With reporting by Rosalind Russell and Dean Yates in Baghdad