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The War
Profiteers - War Crimes, Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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Iraq: Shooting Down of U.S. Sea Knight Helicopter in
the Al-Taji Region - February 7th, 2007 |
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Background “[…] On Friday, a Sunni insurgent group released a two-minute video of
what it said was the ‘downing of U.S. aircraft on Feb. 7,’ showing a helicopter
that appears to be a Sea Knight. The video shows an object trailing smoke in
the sky near the helicopter. Then it shows the aircraft, its hull on fire,
spewing debris and trailing smoke, heading downward and hitting the ground
behind a line of trees. The group that posted the video, an umbrella
organization called the Islamic State of Iraq, which includes al Qaeda in
Iraq, has said its ‘anti-aircraft’ battalion was responsible for the downing.
[…] Most heat-seeking, shoulder-launched missiles have a firing range of
about 2 miles, enabling the attacker to shoot from a hidden location far from
the target. […]” Excerpt of a San
Francisco Chronicle article
from February 10th, 2007. |
Target of new missile attack: a U.S. helicopter |
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The Video |
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External view: link file format: .rmvb |
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Aftermath & Background |
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Aftermath photo 1 |
Aftermath photo 2 |
File photo of a Sea Knight helicopter |
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Photo & Video Credits The Video 1) On February 7, 2007, the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI) posted a
communiqué on the Islamist websites and later published the video, in which
the group claimed responsibility for the downing of a U.S. Chinook helicopter
in Iraq on the same day. According to the message, around 10:40 AM an
"Islamic State in Iraq air defense unit" had targeted the
helicopter in Al-Karama, destroying it completely. Apparently, it was a Sea
Knight helicopter that went down - and not a Chinook. Aftermath & Background 1) & 2) In this
images made from video broadcast by AP Television News, Wednesday, Feb. 7,
2007, smoke rises from the crash site of a U.S. military CH-46 Sea Knight
helicopter which went down about 30 kilometers northwest of Baghdad, Iraq.
Al-Qaida-linked Sunni insurgents claimed responsibility Wednesday for the
downing of a U.S. military helicopter northwest of Baghdad. 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. The U.S.
military did not give the cause of the crash or comment on casualties, though
one U.S. military official said there were reportedly fewer than 10 people on
board. - February 7th, 2007 - Associated Press/APTN; 3) Background
information on CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters: Mission: The mission
of the CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter in a Marine Medium Helicopter (HMM)
squadron is to provide all-weather, day/night, night vision goggle (NVG)
assault transport of combat troops, supplies, and equipment during amphibious
and subsequent operations ashore. Troop assault is the primary function and
the movement of supplies and equipment is secondary. Additional tasks are:
combat and assault support for evacuation operations and other maritime
special operations; over-water search and rescue augmentation; support for
mobile forward refueling and rearming points; aeromedical evacuation of
casualties from the field to suitable medical facilities. Background: The CH-46
Sea Knight was first procured in 1964 to meet the medium-lift requirements of
the Marine Corps in Viet Nam with a program buy of 600 aircraft. The aircraft
has served the Marine Corps in all combat and peacetime environments.
However, normal airframe operational and attrition rates have taken the
assets to the point where a medium lift replacement is required. The safety
and capability upgrades are interim measures to allow continued safe and
effective operation of the Sea Knight fleet until a suitable replacement is
fielded. - Photo & Background information can be found on the website of
the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) - external link; |
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