BAGHDAD, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- An Iraqi army officer was killed and another wounded Tuesday in a helicopter crash while they were on duty to support provincial elections in the Salahuddin province, north of Baghdad, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The helicopter's commander Marwan Jalal was killed, and the pilot, Alaa Salman, was injured after the aircraft crashed due to a technical malfunction after taking off from the Haleiwa military Airport near the town of Tuz-Khurmato, the statement said.
A security source, who requested to remain anonymous, told Xinhua that the technical malfunction was due to the bad weather.
The incident occurred while the two officers were on duty to secure and support the provincial elections process in the country. Iraqi aircraft participate in security operations for the elections, which include transporting ballot boxes from polling centers in remote areas to provincial centers. ■
