Al asad airbase hh60 helicopter

An American special operations helicopter crashed early Monday morning in Iraq, killing one U.S. service member and injuring several others, Newsweek has learned.

It is unclear why the MH Blackhawk went down, but U.S.

military sources with knowledge of the crash said the helicopter was returning to base after conducting a partnered small-scale raid on Islamic State militants in an undisclosed region as apart of ongoing counterterrorism operations.

U.S.

Army Colonel Sean Ryan, spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, confirmed that an aircraft crashed, but had no further information to provide. Officials said an investigation is already underway.

One official told Newsweek on condition of anonymity that the crash was likely a mechanical malfunction, adding that there was no ground fire when the aircraft went down.

Colonel Ryan later confirmed that aircraft was not engaged by enemy forces.

Ten U.S. military personnel were onboard the aircraft being