A CHINOOK helicopter from RAF Odiham came under fire in Iraq on Tuesday as it flew to the assistance of a patrol from the 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment caught in an ambush.

The helicopter, manned by a crew from 27 Squadron, was ferrying a quick response team of paratroopers to the small village of Majar al-Kabir, 15 miles south of Amarah.

As the aircraft attempted to land, it too came under fire.

Four paratroopers and one RAF medic are said to have been injured in the attack and were immediately flown to a field hospital for treatment.

The crew of the helicopter were uninjured and the aircraft itself is said to be salvageable.

The Chinook had been called in to support a party of 10 paras who had been patrolling the village when they came under siege from what has since been described as Òa large number of Iraqi gunmenÓ.

According to RAF Odiham spokesman Flight Lieutenant Paul Smyth, the attack - one of two to take place on Tuesday, the first of which claimed the lives of six British soldiers based at the police post in Majar al-Kabir - had been unexpected.

ÒBy and large the area seems fairly friendly and TuesdayÕs attacks are being viewed as a one-off,Ó said Flt Lt Smyth.

RAF Odiham currently has five Chinooks and around 100 aircraft engineers and flight crews based at Basra as part of a 324-strong Joint Helicopter Force remaining out in Iraq to support regeneration operations.