Free Republic

CAIRO, Egypt - The U.S. military said Wednesday a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter went down about 20 miles northwest of Baghdad, while an Iraqi air force officer said it was downed by an anti-aircraft missile. Al-Qaida-linked Sunni insurgents claimed responsibility for the alleged attack. The claim was issued 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 authenticity of the statement -- posted on a Web forum where the group often issues statements -- could not be independently confirmed.