Israelis Reported On Plane That Crashed Near Iran-Iraq Border
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World Tribune
Tuesday, February 21, 2006

A western aircraft that crashed along the Iraqi-Iranian border was said to have contained Israeli advisers.

The Iranian-based Mehr News Agency said a Falcon aircraft with up to eight passengers left Azerbaijan and headed for Iraq's northern Kurdistan province, Middle East Newsline reported. The agency said the airplane crashed on Feb. 17 and all of its passengers were killed.

"no details on the crash, the plane's passengers and mission are available," Mehr said.

"Investigation into the incident indicated that 3-5 passengers on board were possibly of Israeli origin."

Western diplomatic sources said the plane left a military base in Azerbaijan for Kurdistan.
The sources said Kurdish authorities found the remains of several of the passengers.

The assertion by Mehr that most of the passengers might have been Israelis was not confirmed. But western sources said Israeli advisers and businessmen shuttled to Kurdistan to participate in security and development projects.

Mehr quoting Iraqi sources, said the U.S. military has restricted access to information on the crash. The sources said the Kurdish government was ordered not to provide details of the accident.

"a section of the western media had earlier unofficially reported the crash of a plane in northern Iraq with several German passengers abroad," Mehr said.