Two U.S. aircraft crash in Iraq, four killed

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Two U.S. military aircraft crashed in northern Iraq in the early hours of Monday, killing four soldiers, the U.S. military said.

"Four coalition forces members were killed when two aircraft went down in northern Iraq at approximately 2:15 a.m.," U.S. military spokesman Major Jose Lopez said. "The cause of the incident is unknown and is under investigation."

He gave no further details.

Air crashes have remained common in Iraq although while has waned. In November, a civilian cargo plane crashed in western Iraqi, killing all seven people on board.

Seven soldiers were killed when a Chinook transport helicopter crashed in southern Iraq in September.