Colville soldier killed in helicopter crash in Iraq

A Colville man was one of four U.S. soldiers who died in a helicopter crash in Iraq, the Department of Defense announced Thursday.

Chief Warrant Officer Benjamin H. Todd, 29, was killed when two OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters crashed Monday in Kirkuk. The DOD did not explain the cause of the crash and said in a statement that the incident is under investigation. Todd and the three other soldiers were assigned to the 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

The crash was the largest loss of life for American forces in Iraq since Sept. 18, when another helicopter crash killed seven U.S. soldiers.

A Sunni Arab insurgent group known as the Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order, sometimes referred to as the Naqshbandi Army, claimed it had downed the two helicopters with makeshift rockets. However, the military command in Baghdad said in a brief statement that the cause was unclear but that it did not appear to be "enemy action." The statement did not say whether the helicopters had collided.

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report.