5 Killed in Iraqi Army Helicopter Crash: Military

Five Iraqi troops were killed on Thursday when their helicopter crashed on a "combat mission" north of Baghdad, the military said, as a security source confirmed it had been hit by ground fire.

The helicopter came down near Amerli in Salaheddin province, the military said, in an area where Iraqi troops have carried out repeated operations against suspected sleeper cells of the Daesh terrorist group, DailySabah reported.

Video footage sent to journalists in Baghdad showed firefighters attempting to put out a blaze in the wreckage of the aircraft.

The security forces had launched an operation on Tuesday to "search and clear areas in the south of Kirkuk province," which borders Salaheddin, a statement on their Twitter account said.

The security source told AFP that the helicopter that came down was one of two that had been checking pylons carrying high-voltage power lines in the area, a frequent target for holdout militants in recent months.

As the two aircraft approached Amerli district, one of them took a "direct hit" which forced it down.