U.S. service member killed in helicopter crash N Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. Blackhawk helicopter crashed at a U.S. base in north of Baghdad, killing one service member and wounding 12 others, the U.S. military said on Sunday.

The incident took place on Saturday night at the air base Balad, some 80 km north of Baghdad, a military statement said.

The cause of the incident is unknown, and an investigation is underway.

The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, the statement added.

The latest death brings the number of U.S. soldiers who have been killed in Iraq to about 4,344 since the breakout of the U.S.-led war in Iraq in 2003, according to media account based on Pentagon figures.

Balad air base is a logistic and counterterrorism support base, known as Camp Anaconda. The base is one of the largest American military bases in Iraq which was formerly known as al-Bakr Air Base under Saddam regime.