U.S. helicopter crash near Baghdad kills seven
Pastor Dale Morgan
Thursday February 8, 1:52 AM Reuters
*U.S. helicopter crash near Baghdad kills seven*
By Dean Yates
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - All seven U.S. troops aboard a military helicopter
were killed when it crashed near Baghdad on Wednesday, the fifth such
aircraft to be lost in Iraq in less than three weeks, a U.S. defence
official said.
"I can tell you that the initial report was seven," the official in
Washington said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official did not say what caused the crash, but Iraqi witnesses
reported seeing the helicopter in trouble during gunfire from the ground.
Five such aircraft have been lost in Iraq in nearly three weeks, killing
28 U.S. servicemen and private security contractors. The U.S. military
said on Sunday it was adjusting its tactics after four helicopters had
been shot down.
The high number lost in such a short time has raised questions about
whether militants have changed tactics or are using more sophisticated
weapons.
The self-styled Islamic State in Iraq, linked to al Qaeda, claimed
responsibility, saying the helicopter was shot down by what it described
as its "air defence brigade".
"We tell the enemies that these (operations) are proof that God is
giving us victory," the group said in a statement posted on a Web site
used by Sunni militant groups.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military in Iraq announced that the new Baghdad
security operation had officially begun, but would be rolled out only
gradually.
"The implementation of the prime minister's plan has already begun and
will be fully implemented at a later date, having all the parts and
pieces he wants," U.S. military spokesman Major-General William Caldwell
told reporters in Baghdad.
The crackdown is regarded as a last-ditch attempt to prevent all-out
civil war between politically dominant Shi'ites and minority Sunni Arabs.
Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said preparations for the
Baghdad offensive were still being worked out.
"There will be no sharp start for this operation," he said.
There were few signs of any stepped-up operations in Baghdad on
Wednesday, Reuters witnesses and residents said.
(Additional reporting by Ibon Villelabeitia, Mariam Karouny, Ase el
Kami, Ross Colvin and Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad, Inal Ersan in Dubai and
Andrew Grey in Washington)