Wizdom
15-05-06, 11:38
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Insurgents shot down a U.S. helicopter during clashes south of Baghdad on Sunday, killing two soldiers, the U.S. military said on Monday.
The incident took place near the village of Yusifiya 15 km (9 miles) south of the Iraqi capital. The area is a stronghold of Sunni Arab militants fighting against U.S. and Iraqi forces.
"Two soldiers died ... when their helicopter was shot down during fighting in Yusifiya," a U.S. statement said, giving no further details.
Early last month, a U.S. combat helicopter was presumed to have been shot down in the same area, killing its two pilots.
Insurgents have used Yusifiya as a staging area for suicide attacks in Baghdad, according to U.S. officials.
Late last month, the U.S. military said it and Iraqi forces had killed more than 20 foreign insurgents, several of them wearing suicide vests, in raids in and around the village in the previous few weeks.
The United States has around 133,000 troops in Iraq, suffering daily casualties. At least 2,443 U.S. soldiers have been killed since the invasion in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein.
Also on Sunday, insurgents killed two U.S. Marines in the rebellious western province of Anbar, the U.S. military said in a separate statement on Monday.
A British military helicopter came down in the southern city of Basra on May 6, possibly hit by a rocket, killing five troops and sparking clashes between British forces and local militias.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
The incident took place near the village of Yusifiya 15 km (9 miles) south of the Iraqi capital. The area is a stronghold of Sunni Arab militants fighting against U.S. and Iraqi forces.
"Two soldiers died ... when their helicopter was shot down during fighting in Yusifiya," a U.S. statement said, giving no further details.
Early last month, a U.S. combat helicopter was presumed to have been shot down in the same area, killing its two pilots.
Insurgents have used Yusifiya as a staging area for suicide attacks in Baghdad, according to U.S. officials.
Late last month, the U.S. military said it and Iraqi forces had killed more than 20 foreign insurgents, several of them wearing suicide vests, in raids in and around the village in the previous few weeks.
The United States has around 133,000 troops in Iraq, suffering daily casualties. At least 2,443 U.S. soldiers have been killed since the invasion in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein.
Also on Sunday, insurgents killed two U.S. Marines in the rebellious western province of Anbar, the U.S. military said in a separate statement on Monday.
A British military helicopter came down in the southern city of Basra on May 6, possibly hit by a rocket, killing five troops and sparking clashes between British forces and local militias.
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.