09 January 2004	Friday	16 Ziqa'ad 1424

NUAMIYA, Jan 8:Nine persons on board a US military Blackhawk medevac helicopter were killed on Thursday near Fallujah as the US-led coalition readied to release 100 prisoners.

Earlier, in the capital, one US soldier was killed and 33 wounded when guerrillas fired six mortar rounds into a military base close to Baghdad's international airport. One civilian was injured in the attack late Wednesday.

In Al Nuamiya village, southeast of Fallujah, smouldering debris was seen strewn across the crash site. "A UH-60 helicopter had an emergency landing near Fallujah. There were nine passengers on board, all of them were killed in action ... We are working under the presumption that all of them were American soldiers," a US military spokesman said.

The aircraft had been on a medical evacuation operation at the time of the forced landing, the spokesman said. Six mortars struck Logistical Base Seitz northwest of Baghdad on Wednesday, hitting soldiers' barracks, US officials said.

"One soldier was killed and 34 wounded," a military spokesman said on Thursday. The toll had earlier been put at 35 wounded, with some of the soldiers listed as seriously injured.

The seriously wounded soldiers were evacuated for treatment. Iraqi authorities touted a significant drop in crime and "terrorist" activities in Baghdad, citing increased police efficiency and public cooperation for the improvement. He did not say over what period the decline had taken place.-AFP