Iraqi Army Helicopter Crash Kills Five

An Iraqi military helicopter lands near the al-Qaim border crossing between Syria and Iraq on November 1, 2018. (AFP)
An Iraqi military helicopter lands near the al-Qaim border crossing between Syria and Iraq on November 1, 2018. (AFP)
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Iraqi Army Helicopter Crash Kills Five

An Iraqi military helicopter lands near the al-Qaim border crossing between Syria and Iraq on November 1, 2018. (AFP)
An Iraqi military helicopter lands near the al-Qaim border crossing between Syria and Iraq on November 1, 2018. (AFP)

An Iraqi army helicopter crashed during a combat operation in northern Iraq on Thursday, killing all five crew members, the Iraqi military said in a statement.

The helicopter went down near the northern town of Amerli, 170 km (105 miles) north of Baghdad, said. It did not specify whether the helicopter crashed due to hostile fire or a technical malfunction.

Despite the defeat of ISIS in 2017, remnants of the group switched to hit-and-run attacks against government forces in different parts of Iraq.

Iraqi security forces have over the past months launched many operations in the area where the helicopter crashed to chase militants, military officials said.



Report: Turkish Airlines Restarts Flights to Beirut

Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 TC-JVV plane takes off in Riga International Airport, Latvia January 17, 2020. (Reuters)
Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 TC-JVV plane takes off in Riga International Airport, Latvia January 17, 2020. (Reuters)
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Report: Turkish Airlines Restarts Flights to Beirut

Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 TC-JVV plane takes off in Riga International Airport, Latvia January 17, 2020. (Reuters)
Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 TC-JVV plane takes off in Riga International Airport, Latvia January 17, 2020. (Reuters)

Turkish Airlines has resumed flights from Istanbul to Beirut after a more than two-month suspension prompted by conflict in the Middle East, Türkiye's state-owned Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.

The airline, Türkiye's flag carrier, suspended flights to Beirut on Sept. 21 amid the conflict between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah group. The two sides agreed a ceasefire last week, though both accuse the other of violations.

Anadolu said the airline planned one flight per day in the first phase, rising to two daily flights on Friday. It said there would then be four daily flights from Dec. 11 onwards.

Turkish Airlines did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment on the Anadolu report and its details, but its website showed Istanbul-Beirut flights on sale.