http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/feb/07/seven-die-us-helicopter-goes-down/
More US lives lost in a futile war
HOOROO
UNCLE WALLY
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http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/feb/07/seven-die-us-helicopter-goes-down/
Seven die as U.S. helicopter goes down
Associated Press
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
A Sea Knight helicopter crashed today northwest of Baghdad, killing
all seven people on board, a senior U.S. defense official said, the
fifth chopper lost in Iraq in just more than two weeks.
The CH-46 helicopter did not appear to have been hit by hostile fire,
U.S. official said, although an Iraqi air force officer said it was
downed by an anti-aircraft missile and an al-Qaida-linked Sunni group
claimed responsibility for the downing.
The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the
investigation was still under way, said the crash appeared to have
been related to mechanical problems and all seven people aboard had
died.
The twin-rotor helicopter was operated by Marines, and other Marine
aircraft were in visual contact at the time it went down, the U.S.
official said, but he did not know whether a distress signal was
communicated by radio.
Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, the senior U.S. military spokesman in
Iraq, said the helicopter went down about 20 miles northwest of
Baghdad, although he declined to comment on casualties or give a cause
for the crash.
"A quick reaction force is on site and the investigation is going on
as we speak," said.
U.S. forces sealed off the area and helicopters buzzed overhead as
flames and a huge plume of black smoke billowed from the wreckage in
an open field, not far from a squat concrete farmhouse.
The Iraqi air force officer, who was familiar with the helicopter
investigation but spoke on condition of anonymity because he was
disclosing confidential information, said the chopper went down after
it was hit by an anti-aircraft missile.
Witnesses also said it had been shot down in a field in the Sheik Amir
area northwest of Baghdad in a Sunni-dominated area between the Taji
air base, 12 miles north of Baghdad, and Karmah, 50 miles to the west
of the capital.
"The helicopter was flying and passed over us, then we heard the
firing of a missile," said Mohammad al-Janabi, a farmer who was
speaking less than a half-mile from the wreckage. "The helicopter,
then, turned into a ball of fire. It flew in a circle twice, then it
went down."
Iraqi insurgents have used heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled
grenades and shoulder-fired SA-7 anti-aircraft missiles throughout the
conflict. U.S. officials believe Iran is supplying Shiite militias
with new weapons including more powerful roadside bombs, Katyusha
rockets and a newer class of RPGs.
Some of those weapons could have found their way into the hands of
Sunni insurgents, who operate around Taji.
The U.S. military relies heavily on helicopters to avoid roadside
bombs and insurgent ambushes. Any new threat to helicopters would be a
serious challenge.
The CH-46 is used by the Marines primarily as a cargo and troop
transport, and can carry 25 combat-loaded troops, according to the
think tank GlobalSecurity.org.
The claim of responsibility came in an Internet statement signed by
the Islamic State in Iraq, an umbrella group of several Sunni
insurgent groups, including al-Qaida in Iraq. The same group claimed
responsibility for downing two other helicopters recently.
The authenticity of the statement - posted on a Web forum where the
group often issues statements - could not be independently confirmed.
The Sea Knight went down five days after a U.S. Army helicopter
crashed in a hail of gunfire north of Baghdad, police and witnesses
said. The U.S. command said two crew members were killed in that
crash, and the al-Qaida-affiliated group the Islamic State of Iraq
claimed responsibility.
Three other helicopters also have gone down since Jan. 20 killing a
total of 19 Americans - 14 troops and five civilian security
contractors.
The military has said all four were believed to have been shot down,
raising new questions about whether Iraqi insurgents are using more
sophisticated weapons or whether U.S. tactics need changing.
Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has
acknowledged that insurgent ground fire in Iraq has been increasingly
effective.
"I do not know whether or not it is the law of averages that caught up
with us or if there's been a change in tactics, techniques and
procedures on the part of the enemy," he told a congressional hearing
on another subject Tuesday, adding the downings were being
investigated.
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