General: Enemy fire might have downed U.S. copter
Pastor Dale Morgan
General: Enemy fire downed U.S. copter*
POSTED: 2023 GMT (0423 HKT), February 21, 2007
Story Highlights
• Enemy fire might have caused U.S. chopper's 'hard landing'
• NEW: Insurgent group issues claim of responsibility; claim not confirmed
• First steps in security crackdown encouraging, U.S. general says
• A car bomb laced with poisonous gas killed two civilians
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A U.S. helicopter that had a "hard landing"
Wednesday might have been brought down by enemy fire, according to
military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, and an insurgent group
has claimed responsibility.
"The indications are now that it was brought down by small-arms fire and
RPGs -- rocket-propelled grenades," Caldwell said, noting that these are
preliminary indications.
The Mujahedeen Army posted a message online, saying it was responsible
for downing the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
CNN cannot confirm the authenticity of the claim or its source.
A portion of the statement, dated Wednesday, said, "With God's blessing,
at 10 o'clock this morning, Sheik Al-Islam bin Taimiya Brigade of the
Mujahedeen Army was able to down a Black Hawk helicopter that belongs to
the crusader occupying forces in the Taji area, north of Baghdad."
The chopper went down northwest of Baghdad.
All nine people on board were safe.
This is the seventh U.S. chopper that has crashed or made a hard landing
since January 20. (Full story)
Toxic gas kills 2
Toxic gas killed Iraqi civilians for the second time in two days.
A car bomb laced with poisonous gas exploded near a hospital in
southwestern Baghdad's Bayaa neighborhood Wednesday, killing two
civilians and wounding seven others.
Twenty-three other civilians were hospitalized with respiratory problems
caused from the noxious gases.
On Tuesday, a cloud of deadly toxic gas engulfed an Iraqi town, killing
six people and leaving dozens of others choking on fumes after a tanker
carrying chlorine exploded outside a restaurant.
An Iraqi Interior Ministry official said the blast in the town of Taji,
12 miles (20 kilometers) north of Baghdad, was caused by a bomb on board
the tanker. (Watch why some say the war has increased terrorism Video)
Security crackdown 'encouraging'
The first steps in the Baghdad security crackdown have been
"encouraging," Caldwell said Wednesday.
About 112,000 coalition and Iraqi security forces are a part of the
stepped-up plan to restore peace to Iraq's capital.
Troops have been creating pedestrian zones around busy marketplaces that
have been vulnerable to attacks from car bombers targeting civilians.
Caldwell cautioned it was too early to declare success.
"The effects of the operation will not be seen days or weeks, but over
the course of months," he said, adding that "though there may be good
days during that time, we are also going to have tough ones."
Other developments
• British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday announced plans to
withdraw 1,600 of his country's troops from Iraq. In a statement to
lawmakers in the House of Commons, Blair said British troop numbers
would be reduced from 7,200 to 5,500 in the coming months but only if
Iraqi security forces could secure the southern part of the country.
(Full story)
• Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is denying a woman's rape
allegations against three Iraqi policemen raped her. The Sunni Arab
woman made the claims on Al-Jazeera on Monday. (Full story)
• A suicide car bomb exploded Wednesday at a busy Iraqi police
checkpoint in the holy city of Najaf, killing at least 13 people and
wounding 43 others, police said. The casualties included both police and
civilians.
• Coalition forces killed seven insurgents and detained 13 others during
raids in Iraq on Wednesday, the U.S. military said.
• A U.S. Marine was killed Tuesday while "conducting combat operations"
in Anbar province, the U.S. military announced Wednesday. The Marine's
death brought to the number of U.S. troops killed in the Iraq war to
3,139. Seven American civilian contractors of the military also have
died in the conflict.
• A car bomb exploded outside a popular restaurant in Baghdad's Sadr
City, killing at least three people.
• Four mortars struck a neighborhood in western Baghdad, killing at
least three civilians and wounding 10.
• A roadside bomb targeting an Iraqi army convoy exploded in southern
Baghdad Wednesday morning. Two soldiers were killed and three more wounded.
CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this story.