U.S. helicopter down in Mosul, two dead

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two U.S. soldiers were killed in a helicopter accident in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Saturday, a military spokeswoman said.

The helicopter involved was an OH-58 Kiowa Warrior, a small scout helicopter fitted with weapons. It hit overhead cables as it was attempting to land.

"There has been a helicopter incident in Mosul. They're classifying it now as a hard landing when it came in contact with wires," Captain Charles Calio said earlier on Saturday.

Mosul has been the scene of some of the heaviest violence in Iraq in recent months. U.S. forces say al Qaeda and likeminded Sunni Muslim militant groups are making a stand in the northern city after being driven from other parts of Iraq.

Air crashes have remained common in Iraq even as violence has waned. A civilian cargo plane crashed in Western Iraq on Thursday killing seven people.

Two Black Hawk helicopters collided last month killing one U.S. soldier, and seven soldiers died when a Chinook transport helicopter crashed in southern Iraq in September.