Islamic State militants down Iraqi army helicopter
Islamic State militants down Iraqi army helicopter
Islamic State group militants shot down an Iraqi military helicopter south of the IS-held city of Fallujah on Wednesday, killing at least one person, officials said.
2 min read
The Bell 407 is the second Iraqi helicopter to be lost in two days [AFP]
Islamic State group (IS) militants shot down an Iraqi military helicopter west of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least one person, officials have revealed.
The helicopter - the second lost by Iraq in two days - went down near Amriyat al-Fallujah, south of the IS-held city of Fallujah, though officials differed on the exact location.
An Iraqi army aviation captain said that the Bell helicopter was shot down using a Dushka heavy machine gun, killing one crew member and wounding a second, who was rescued by another helicopter.
Lieutenant Colonel Arif al-Janabi, the police chief for Amriyat al-Fallujah, said that IS shot the helicopter down, putting the death toll at two.
Shakir al-Essawi, the head of the area's local council, confirmed Janabi's account.
IS issued an online statement claiming that it shot the helicopter down and damaged another in the Amriyat al-Fallujah area on Tuesday.
Iraq has lost multiple helicopters to accidents and ground fire in recent years, while others have been damaged.
An Iraqi Mi-17 helicopter crashed south of Baghdad due to a "technical problem" on Tuesday, killing nine people.
In October 2014, militants shot down a Bell 407 north of Baghdad, killing two crew, five days after an Mi-35 was shot down in the same area, while Islamist militants destroyed another helicopter on the ground earlier in the year.
An overloaded helicopter also crashed after delivering aid to people besieged by the IS group on Mount Sinjar in August 2014, killing its pilot and injuring passengers, including a member of parliament.
The helicopter - the second lost by Iraq in two days - went down near Amriyat al-Fallujah, south of the IS-held city of Fallujah, though officials differed on the exact location.
An Iraqi army aviation captain said that the Bell helicopter was shot down using a Dushka heavy machine gun, killing one crew member and wounding a second, who was rescued by another helicopter.
Lieutenant Colonel Arif al-Janabi, the police chief for Amriyat al-Fallujah, said that IS shot the helicopter down, putting the death toll at two.
Shakir al-Essawi, the head of the area's local council, confirmed Janabi's account.
IS issued an online statement claiming that it shot the helicopter down and damaged another in the Amriyat al-Fallujah area on Tuesday.
Iraq has lost multiple helicopters to accidents and ground fire in recent years, while others have been damaged.
An Iraqi Mi-17 helicopter crashed south of Baghdad due to a "technical problem" on Tuesday, killing nine people.
In October 2014, militants shot down a Bell 407 north of Baghdad, killing two crew, five days after an Mi-35 was shot down in the same area, while Islamist militants destroyed another helicopter on the ground earlier in the year.
An overloaded helicopter also crashed after delivering aid to people besieged by the IS group on Mount Sinjar in August 2014, killing its pilot and injuring passengers, including a member of parliament.
Agencies contributed to this report
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