US soldier in Iraq held in deaths of 2 Americans

11 US troops died in noncombat events this week

BAGHDAD - A US soldier is being held in connection with the shooting deaths of two fellow Americans on Sunday at their patrol base south of Baghdad, the US military said in a statement yesterday.

News of the deaths came on the same day that seven American soldiers were killed in the southern Iraqi desert when their helicopter crashed. Military officials said that the early morning crash was not caused by enemy fire. They also said that two other US soldiers died in two separate incidents Wednesday, not as a result of combat but under circumstances that have not been disclosed.

That means 11 US service members have died since Sunday for noncombat-related reasons.

No names were released for the dead from the helicopter crash or the events on Wednesday. But the two soldiers shot to death Sunday were identified as Staff Sergeant Darris J. Dawson, 24, of Pensacola, Fla., and Sergeant Wesley R. Durban, 26, of Hurst, Texas.

The military said the two men were "victims of an early morning shooting" at their base, near the town of Iskandariyah, about 30 miles south of the capital. The military described the circumstances surrounding the killings as "non-hostile."

The two soldiers were assigned to the Third Battalion, Seventh Infantry Regiment, Fourth Brigade Combat Team, Third Infantry Division, based in Fort Stewart, Ga.

The military did not name the soldier being held in connection with the shootings.

"A US soldier is in custody in connection with the shooting deaths," the military statement said. "He is being held in custody pending review by a military magistrate."

Citing the ongoing investigation, military spokeswoman Sergeant Stephanie Boyd declined to offer details of the circumstances surrounding the killings or say whether it was deliberate, accidental, or due to other factors.

The helicopter that crashed yesterday was a CH-47 Chinook. It went down about 60 miles west of the port city of Basra shortly after midnight, killing all seven soldiers aboard. The aircraft was part of a four-helicopter convoy flying from Kuwait to the northern city of Balad, the military said. The Chinook is typically used to transport troops and supplies.

It was the deadliest US helicopter accident in Iraq since Aug. 22 of last year, when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed in the northern part of the country, killing 14 US soldiers.

"The cause of the accident is unknown and an investigation is underway. However, enemy activity is not suspected," Staff Sergeant Jessica Switzer, a US military spokeswoman, said in an e-mail. Switzer noted that "the other three aircraft returned safely."

Also yesterday, a car rigged with explosives, exploded as it traveled between the towns of Shatra and Nasiriya, killing both men inside instantly, police said. The target, they said, was a nearby police checkpoint.

In Baghdad, a roadside bomb exploded in the upscale Karrada neighborhood, wounding two policemen. Another roadside bomb detonated in eastern Baghdad, wounding six members of the force, police said.