U.S. transport helicopter crashes in Iraq
Source: Reuters
(Adds details) By Dean Yates BAGHDAD, Feb 7 (Reuters) - A U.S. military transport helicopter crashed near Baghdad Wednesday, the fifth such aircraft lost in Iraq in three weeks, an army spokesman said. Iraqi witnesses reported seeing an aircraft in trouble during gunfire from the ground. U.S. military spokesman Major- General William Caldwell told reporters it would be inappropriate to talk about casualties. "We have a CH-46 that is down," Caldwell said, referring to the twin-rotor Sea Knight, the Marine version of the Chinook, which can carry up to 25 passengers and four crew. "We have a quick reaction force on site." U.S. and Iraqi forces are preparing to launch a major offensive against militants in Baghdad that is regarded as a last-ditch attempt to prevent all-out civil war between politically dominant Shi'ites and minority Sunni Arabs. The U.S. military said "some new elements" of the plan had begun to be implemented although Iraqi officials said preparations were still being carried out. "It is not going to be a sudden effort, it will be a gradual effort ... People have to be patient," Caldwell said. There were few signs of any stepped up operations in Baghdad Wednesday, Reuters witnesses and residents said. An Iraqi policeman who had been to the area northwest of Baghdad where the helicopter came down told Reuters he had seen wreckage. The al Qaeda-linked self-styled Islamic State in Iraq claimed responsibility, saying the helicopter was shot down by what it described as its "air defense 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. The U.S. military said Sunday it was adjusting its tactics after four helicopters were shot down in separate incidents over a two-week period. Twenty one U.S. servicemen and private security contractors were killed in those attacks. The high number lost in such a short time has raised questions about whether militants have changed tactics or are using more sophisticated weapons. BAGHDAD OFFENSIVE 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. Caldwell said U.S. and Iraqi reinforcements were still arriving, adding the operation would take time to build up. He said an Iraqi general, Abboud Qanbar, would head the campaign. U.S. forces will not take orders from the Iraqis. The new U.S. military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, a counter-insurgency expert, is expected to take command Saturday. He will replace General George Casey, who had been sceptical of troop increases. Petraeus has asked for all extra forces to be deployed as quickly as possible. U.S. President George W. Bush has committed 17,500 more troops to the Baghdad push. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered his military commanders Tuesday to speed up preparations for the crackdown after a wave of attacks killed hundreds in recent days. There is growing frustration among Iraqis over the delay in launching the offensive that Maliki first announced nearly a month ago. Iraqi officials say the crackdown was due to have started this week but that Iraqi security forces had asked for more time to get their troops in place. Critics say a previous offensive last summer failed partly because too few Iraqi troops were involved. (Additional reporting by Ibon Villelabeitia, Mariam Karouny, Aseel Kami, Ross Colvin and Ahmed Rasheed, and Inal Ersan in Dubai)
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