Islamic State shoots down helicopter over Mosul, Iraqi authorities say

Reporting from MOSUL, Iraq — The Iraqi government said Islamic State militants have shot down an Iraqi army helicopter over Mosul, killing the two-member crew.

The Ministry of Defense said in a statement that the incident happened during the operation to retake the city from Islamic State militants.

Officials said the chopper came down as a result of ground fire and crashed somewhere in eastern Mosul. Footage from an AP cameraman shows a large ball of fire with a long trail of thick black smoke as the aircraft fell out of the sky Thursday afternoon.

Iraqi air force and army aircraft conduct regular strike operations over the city to support police and special forces units battling the militants. The operation to retake Mosul from Islamic State started in October.