![An Iraqi military helicopters seen during an operation to carry coalition troops from Nineveh Joint Operations Command headquarters to various parts of Mosul, on October 19, 2016 [Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/d2.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/20161019_Coalition-forces-US-Iraqi-in-iraq-mosul-16.jpg?fit=920%2C567&ssl=1)
An Iraqi army helicopter crashed during a routine flight on Sunday, killing all seven people on board, a military statement and Iraqi air force officers said.
The Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter went down near the southern province of Kut, the statement said. Two pilots and five army officers were killed, Iraqi air force officers told Reuters.
A technical malfunction caused the crash, the military statement said.
Iraq is slowly rebuilding its air force, once one of the world’s largest, after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.