Up to 15 UK troops thought killed in Iraq crash

BAGHDAD - Up to 15 British military personnel were killed in Iraq when an air force transport plane crashed northwest of Baghdad, Sky TV says.

Prime Minister Tony Blair earlier confirmed that a number of British personnel died when a Hercules crashed.

No information has been released about the cause of the crash, but US officials said helicopters had spotted the wreckage, which was strewn over a wide area.

"Yet again today we see the sacrifice they (British military personnel) make," Blair said in his statement.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives earlier today. They can be so proud of what their loved ones accomplished. This country and the wider world will never forget them."

Bush paid tribute to the US and British troops who died. "Their sacrifices were made in a vital cause of freedom, peace in a troubled region, and a more secure future for us all," he said in televised comments from the White House.

The Defence Ministry, announcing the crash earlier in the day, said "An RAF C-130 Hercules crashed at around 1725 local time (3.25am NZT) on 30 January some 19 miles northwest of Baghdad."

Media reports said the aircraft was on its way to the city of Balad from Baghdad when it crashed.

British and US troops were helping Iraqi forces provide security on Sunday as Iraqis voted in the first national election since the US-led invasion in March 2003.

Insurgents opposed to the election had threatened to kill anyone who tried to vote, and there were at least nine suicide bomb attacks in Baghdad.

Last Wednesday, 30 US marines and one sailor were killed when an American military helicopter crashed close to the Jordanian border in the deadliest single incident for American troops since they invaded Iraq.

- REUTERS