U.S. Marine helicopter shot down over Najaf, military says

MSNBC ^ | 08/05/04 | MSNBC

[lugsoul]

More soon...

[endthematrix]

"It wasn't clear how many people were aboard the UH-1 helicopter, but some were injured and were evacuated, military spokesman Spc. Justin McCue said.

The helicopter was shot down about 11:43 a.m. (3.43 a.m. ET) as militiamen loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr fought with Iraqi and U.S. forces. The clashes killed at least two people and wounded eight, Health Ministry officials said."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5455104/

[lugsoul]

Crew survived. From Fox News:

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A U.S. Marine helicopter was shot down Thursday morning during fighting in the southern city of Najaf but the crew survived, the military said.

It wasn't clear how many people were aboard the UH-1 helicopter (search), but some were injured and were evacuated, military spokesman Spc. Justin McCue said.

The helicopter was shot down about 11:43 a.m. as militiamen loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr (search) fought with Iraqi and U.S. forces. The clashes killed at least two people and wounded eight, Health Ministry officials said.

Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army attacked a police station there with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire. U.S. Marines entered the area to assist the police, residents said.

[endthematrix]

Good to hear they all survived! Now let's pound the living out of Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army!

[lugsoul]

Sadly, what I expect is a flurry of fighting, then a statement that we are pulling back to let Iraqi forces "handle it"

[livius]

I have read today (in the European press, which is earlier than ours) that there is heavy fighting going on in Najaf. There has also been at least one car-bombing (about 70 km from Baghdad), and two more Turkish truck drivers have been kidnapped.

[leadpenny]

U.S. Helicopter Downed in Najaf Fighting

1 minute ago

By JAMIE TARABAY, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A U.S. helicopter was hit by gunfire and crashed Thursday during fierce fighting with insurgents loyal to a radical cleric in the holy city of Najaf. The crew was wounded and evacuated to safety.


Also Thursday, a suicide car bombing killed five people and wounded 27 at a police station south of Baghdad, the Interior Ministry said.


The fighting in Najaf began early in the morning when cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army attacked a police station on Revolution of 1920 Square with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and Kalashnikov rifles.


Najaf's governor, Adnan al-Zurufi, told the Al-Jazeera satellite channel that the U.S. Marines intervened "to help the policemen protect the police stations and the city."


Al-Zurufi said armed militias attacked the police station at about 1:50 a.m. and two people had been killed so far. During the battle, a UH-1 Huey was hit and crashed. The crew was hurt and evacuated to safety.


The Najaf fighting, the fiercest in weeks, threatens a fragile cease-fire between the Mahdi Army and Iraqi and U.S. authorities. Al-Zurufi warned of "very bad consequences" if the militiamen did not disarm and leave the holy city.


In the vehicle bombing in Mahawil, 53 miles south of Baghdad, a bus approached, two gunmen clad in police uniforms hopped out and opened fire on the police station. They escaped, while the bomber inside the bus died in the bomb explosion.


"At 8:30 this morning, a minibus approached Mahawil police station with three people inside," said Sabah Kadhim, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry. "Two of them got out and opened fire on the guards, while the driver carried on toward the police station and blew up."


Insurgents have repeatedly targeted police as part of their campaign to destabilize the interim government — killing 710 from April 2003 to May 2004. The guerrillas see police as collaborators with the American-led coalition forces.


Farther north, a series of battles between Iraqi authorities and insurgents in the city of Mosul killed 14 civilians and eight insurgents Wednesday, the U.S. military said. Iraqi authorities said Thursday that 17 people had been killed and 47 wounded.


Iraqi authorities clamped a curfew on the area and sealed off bridges into the city to restore order. The fighting was the fiercest in Mosul in months, and local authorities said insurgents appeared to be testing the police. No Iraqi or coalition forces were killed in the violence, the U.S. military said.


Two of the militants killed included a member of the al-Qaida-linked militant group Ansar al-Islam and a cousin of the group's founder, said Sarkawt Hassan, security chief in the Kurdish province of Sulaimaniyah.


The body of Sayed Omar Omar Mohammed, also known as Sayed Qutb, the cousin of founder Mullah Krekar, was found in a car in al-Yarmouk area in Mosul, Hassan said.


In the southern city of Basra, militants loyal to al-Sadr threatened Thursday to attack British forces in the area unless they freed four men detained in a raid on al-Sadr's party's office in Basra two days before.


"Otherwise the Mahdi army will confront the British forces, enter the city and take over important government buildings," said Salam al-Maliki, a spokesman for al-Sadr's Mahdi army militia.


The British said they hadn't received a formal ultimatum, "only rhetoric," said Maj. Ian Clooney. He said the men had been detained for further questioning, and did not elaborate.


On Tuesday, police said that al-Sadr's militias had kidnapped police officers apparently to use as leverage to force authorities to release militants being detained. His group denied the accusations, saying police were provoking al-Sadr's supporters by trying to arrest some of the group's leaders.





Insurgents have kidnapped scores of foreign hostages to force foreign companies and coalition troops from Iraq (news - web sites). In an effort to save the hostages, several companies have said they would stop their work here, and last month the Philippines withdrew its 51-member troop contingent to secure the freedom of a Filipino truck driver.

In a move to show kidnappers that none of the 31 other countries in the coalition would follow suit, the United States issued a statement Wednesday vowing not to make concessions to hostage-takers. Many of the other coalition members were expected to issue similar statements in the coming days, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.

"We are united in our resolve to make no concessions to terrorists," read the statement. "We understand that conceding to terrorists will only endanger all members of the multinational force, as well as other countries who are contributing to Iraqi reconstruction and humanitarian assistance," it said.

[upchuck]

From http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=cleric

Word History: Cleric, clerk, and clark all come from Latin clricus, “a man in a religious order, a man in holy orders.” Cleric appears in Old English about 975 and lasts into the 13th century. Clerc appears in late Old English, around 1129, and was identical in spelling and pronunciation with Old French clerc, “belonging to the (Christian) clergy.” In the Middle Ages the clergy were the only literate class and were often employed as scribes, secretaries, or notaries.

Oh really?

One of these days we'll figure it out. You DO NOT give street thugs and common criminals like the cleric terrorist Muqtada al-Sadr a second chance. He'll just rearm, "mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire," and come at you harder next time.

What part of, "This guy needs to become very dead," don't we understand?

[Ros42]

I was surfin thru the channels this a.m. when I woke up, and it was breaking news on CNN (which I never watch, but Fox and Friends wasn't on yet). Anyways, CNN is showing footage of the ENEMY shelling OUR GUYS via an ARAB channel! I couldn't believe they were showing that!! I guess they take pleasure in showing our troops get hurt!! Shows what low lifes they are!!

[Psalm 73]

"...the UH-1 helicopter..."

What the heck are UH-1's doing in a combat zone?
Heck, Army NG units are even just about fully transitioned out of them for domestic duty.

[OXENinFLA]

http://www.news4jax.com/news/3618791/detail.html

[Spacetrucker]

WOW - that's an awesome pic. Good to see the structure is still mostly intact - I served in a helo unit in the USMC (ch-53's) and saw a few crashes like that - good to know the crew survived.

[mcshot]

I've been wondering the same thing. The marines use the UH-1 and cobra which are VN era. Either they still get the leftovers and used stuff or they have refined these machines for their use. My concern is they have what they want.

mc

[Chode]

don't worry... the Marine N-Model and Super Cobras are about on par with Army Apaches in some arenas

[A.A. Cunningham]

Big difference between what the Guard flew and Marine Corps UH-1Ns. With the upgraded UH-1Y and the AH-1Z the Corps will be flying Hueys for a long time.