Iraqi pilot flew military plane that crashed in US

An Iraqi pilot who has been training in the United States for four years has crashed in Arizona while flying an F-16 Fighting aircraft, a spokesman for the Iraqi defense minister has said.
"We have no word yet on his fate or the reason behind the crash," Brig. Gen. Tahseen Ibrahim told The Associated Press.
"We are in contact with the Americans to get more details."
Ibrahim confirmed the pilot is Brig. Gen. Rafid Mohammed Hassan but said the pilot's fate still is not known.
Hassan was the only person aboard when the plane went down during a Wednesday night training mission with the Arizona Air National Guard, the Guard said in a statement. It did not release further information about the pilot.

Rescue operation was difficult. The plane hit a gas pipeline and sparked a fire, police spokeswoman Carol Capas told the Arizona Daily Star newspaper.
The Arizona Air National Guard conducts international pilot training as well as reconnaissance missions, according to its website.