CNN Breaking: US helicopter down north of Baghdad - residents

[Cooley Hurd]

CNN via Reuters: Witnesses reporting seeing SAM missile hitting Apache.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/COL145274.htm

BAGHDAD, Feb 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Sunday it was checking reports that an Apache helicopter had come down north of Baghdad.

Witnesses reported seeing a missile strike the attack helicopter, which carries two crew, bringing the aircraft down in the Timayma area, near Taji, 20 km (12 miles) north of Baghdad, which houses a major U.S. air base.

U.S. military spokeswoman Lieutenant-Colonel Josslyn Aberle said she was looking into the reports.
</snip>

Hat-tip to Eugene for the link.:thumbsup::hi:

[pinniped]

1. I already know where the serial number from the missile fragments derives from.

.

[Jeanette in FL]

2. So do I, am I correct?

It is a four letter word, starting with I and ending with N.

Am I correct?

[pinniped]

5. Yes, but it could also have been Syria, Cuba, Venezuela, or North Korea.

They are still manufacturing so-called evidence against the aforementioned countries.

[flyarm]

9. or now..mr putin!! ..putty poo...*hes great new buddy putin...n/t

[ktlyon]

12. or Saudi Arabia

[flyarm]

4. LET ME MAKE A WILD GUESS....

now i am putting myself out on a rope here...........Iran??????????????????

if it wasn't so sad..and killing our soldiers...i would be comical...( the Iran part..not the shooting down of our helicopters!)

do you ever wonder who is really behind shooting the copters down??

i sure do!!

my hubby's cousins daughter is over there flying copters..so this is very concerning to our family...

...as it should be very concerning to all Americans...but don't worry your little heads..as * says..go shopping!!

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :rant: :rant: :rant: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

fly

[smoogatz]

21. Saudi Arabia, possibly.

Which means that those shoulder-fired missiles may well have U.S. serial numbers on them. It's inevitable, really, when you're the arms maker for the whole world, that some of those weapons will be turned against you.

[SoCalDem]

32. Made in Iran..but written in english

:eyes:

[Eugene]

3. Reuters: US helicopter down north of Baghdad - residents

US helicopter down north of Baghdad - residents
11 Feb 2007 12:39:46 GMT
Source: Reuters

(Updates with background)

BAGHDAD, Feb 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Sunday it was checking reports
that an Apache helicopter had come down north of Baghdad.

Witnesses reported seeing a missile strike the attack helicopter, which carries two
crew, bringing the aircraft down in the Timayma area, near Taji, 20 km (12 miles)
north of Baghdad, which houses a major U.S. air base.

U.S. military spokeswoman Lieutenant-Colonel Josslyn Aberle said she was looking
into the reports.

If confirmed it would be the seventh U.S. helicopter to have come down in Iraq in the
last three weeks. The U.S. military has confirmed that at least four of those were shot
down after being struck by ground fire and says it has adjusted its tactics accordingly.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/COL145274.htm

A chopper every 3-4 days. :mad:

[flyarm]

6. wowwwwwwwww....

The U.S. military has confirmed that at least four of those were shot
down after being struck by ground fire and says it has adjusted its tactics accordingly.

wow that adjustment is sure working huh?????????

slap me silly...7 in 3 weeks...how about another adjustment boys????????

i hate to see how many we would lose then!

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

fly

[Delphinus]

8. When are the brass going to wake up

and stop flying these things? Unless, of course, it really is a way (a false flag) to blame Iran and involve them in the war.

[flyarm]

10. ding ding ding..you win the $64,000 prize!!....n/t

[ohio2007]

25. going by road is dangerous

and now the skies are full of missile hazards.
But I don't think they are of the improvised variety

[oblivious]

31. Seven in the last 3 weeks. Compare that to Soviet helicopters shot down in Afghanistan.

1979 - 0
1980 - 7
1981 - 8
1982 - 5
1983 - 8
1984 - 10
1985 - 13
1986 - 7
1987 - 10
1988 - 10
1989 - 2
That totals 80 allegedly shot down. But in total 333 helicopters were lost.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Soviet_aircraft_losses_in_Afghanistan

[Olney Blue]

7. A reporter said that helicopters are like taxis over there since it is so

unsafe to drive on the streets- an assault on helicopters would really disrupt.

[flyarm]

11. but don't worry our guys are adjusting tactics!!..n/t

[Jeanette in FL]

13. Yeah, because we don't have Plan B

"I don't think you go to plan B. You work with plan A," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday, explaining why the administration had no contingency plans lined up.

[Olney Blue]

14. The "beating a dead horse" strategy.

[maddezmom]

15. AP:U.S. military: No copter has gone down

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military said Sunday it has no reports of a helicopter going down after witnesses reported an Apache had crashed north of Baghdad.

Witnesses and police said the helicopter was shot down on Sunday, sending a plume of smoke into the air near the Bani Tamim village, in the area around the Taji air base, 12 miles north of Baghdad.

Lt. Col. Josslyn Aberle, a U.S. military spokeswoman, said initial reports did not find that a helicopter had gone down, but she said the military check again to be sure.
more;
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070211/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_helicopter_1

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

17. So, the adjusted tactics include flat denial of the shootdown?

:shrug: MKJ

[maddezmom]

23. probably going to be another contractor accident

like the one they hid from the press for a week or so.

[rodeodance]

28. news has dried up on this story.

[maddezmom]

29. yup, just like the last time

I'm thinking it was another contractor doing security detail, like the one that sat on for a week or so.

[rodeodance]

16. 3 U.S. troops killed hunting weapons cache (Saturday)----I missed this

yesterday

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/10/iraq.main/index.html?section=cnn_topstories&eref=yahoo

3 U.S. troops killed hunting weapons cache
POSTED: 4:48 p.m. EST, February 10, 2007
Story Highlights
• Friday's troop deaths bring the February death toll for U.S. troops to 37
• Attacks in Baghdad, Mosul and Musayyib kill 13 people, wound dozens
• Of those 13, four killed when car explodes in Baghdad commercial area
• In Mosul, gunmen and bombers target Iraqi police, soldiers
Adjust font size:
Decrease fontDecrease font
Enlarge fontEnlarge font

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- An explosion killed three U.S. troops and wounded four others as the soldiers searched a building for a weapons cache in Diyala province in Iraq, the U.S. military announced Saturday.

The killings on Friday raise the February death toll for U.S. troops to 37.

Since it began in 2003, the war has taken the lives of 3,113 U.S. troops and seven Department of Defense civilians.

Army Gen. David Petraeus took over command of U.S. forces from Gen. George Casey in a ceremony Saturday in Baghdad. (Full story)

[maddezmom]

18. and another one announced toady

U.S. soldier in Iraq killed by enemy gunfire
BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A U.S. Task Force Lightning soldier was shot and later died from the wound Sunday after the soldier's patrol encountered enemy gunfire during combat operations in Iraq's Diyala province on Sunday, a U.S. Military statement released Sunday said.

The death brings the toll of U.S. military personnel killed in the nearly 4-year-old Iraq war to 3,121 and brings the death toll so far this month to 38. (Posted 1:32 a.m.)

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/02/11/sunday/index.html

[Squatch]

19. "SAM missile" = redundant

[Cooley Hurd]

22. They aren't called "surface to air missile missiles?"

;)

[Beetwasher]

20. I Believe That's Now 7 In A Little Over 2 Wks

n/t

[ohio2007]

24. Thats what I call "a surge" in reporting nt

[BayCityProgressive]

26. Thank GOD

we have 20k more troops going over there to save those poor people.:sarcasm:

[VegasWolf]

27. Looks like Iraq's surge is more effective than Georgie's. Impeach Bush now. nt

[cliss]

30. Some factoids:

1) Cost: A typical helicopter costs around $50 million. Every time one of these goes down, it's an enormous loss for the US military. How many have we lost now? I've lost count. A lot of them.

2) High Value: These are high-value targets. They typically hold multiple US troops; it's seen as

3) Adjusted: the US already HAS adjusted to the conditions. They realized very early on that helis were unbelievably vulnerable. Especially in Baghdad around the airport. They decided to fly low to the ground, in a Zig Zag fashion to avoid being hit.

4) BIG BIG BIG versus SMALL: The Big heli's are ridiculous. They are such moving targets. The Pentagon needs to get away from them and use the smaller ones. The Mercenaries are already using these "Mini Helis".

4) Surprisingly easy to take down: I've read that early in the war, a farmer holding a Kalashnikov (antiquated Russian Rifle) aimed at a US helicopter, and to his shock, he brought it down. That was a big loss; I think we lost 13 troops. He must have hit a fuel line.

5) These things can be brought down by a shoulder-held missile launcher. These are definitely big enough to do the job. I've read that they are being brought in by Russian suppliers (not sure).

Stan Goff: "The Beast Bleeds">