DOHUK, Iraq—A strange helicopter accident in northern Iraq has killed at least five persons, including accused terrorists from an outlawed Kurdish rebel organization, according to statements issued Thursday by the Iraqi Kurdish counterterrorism agency and the region's president.
The AS350 Eurocopter crashed in the area of Chamanke in Dohuk province in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region on Wednesday night, according to a counter-terrorism agency statement shared on social media.
At least five passengers were slain, according to Lawk Ghafuri, the Kurdish region's President Nechirvan Barzani's spokeswoman.
According to the counter-terrorism statement, the chopper was transporting militants from the banned Kurdistan Worker's Party, or PKK. No one has claimed possession of the chopper as of yet.
The Iraqi Kurdish regional administration contacted the Iraqi government, the US-led coalition, and Turkey about the incident, according to the statement, but each denied the helicopter was theirs.
According to Zagros Hiwa, a PKK spokeswoman, the organisation does not have helicopters and is examining the event. He also questioned the existence of PKK militants on the flight, claiming that a coalition helicopter carrying fighters with the People's Protection Units, or YPG, a Syrian Kurdish militia aligned with US-led troops, was on board.
The US-led coalition's spokesperson declined to comment, saying the accident was beyond the purview of the coalition's activities.
Initial allegations that the helicopter was Turkish were "absolutely false," according to Turkish defense ministry sources, and there was no helicopter flight belonging to the Turkish military in the vicinity.
Throughout the 1980s, the PKK has waged an insurgency against Turkey and is regarded a terrorist organization by Ankara, the United States, and the European Union. Its militants have found safe havens in northern Iraq and are routinely attacked in the region by Turkey.
