US Chinook Downed Kills 14, Clashes In Ramadi Kills More
By Muhammad Abu Nasr, Free Arab Voice; Edited And Published By JUS
Resistance forces fired a surface-to-air rocket at an American Chinook helicopter that was hovering at a low altitude over the city of al-Qa’im. The correspondent for Mafkarat al-Islam reported seeing the huge burning helicopter plunge to earth and exploding in a blast that rocked the whole city.
In a dispatch posted at 11:20am Tuesday morning Mecca time, the correspondent reported that fire was still burning in the wreckage of the aircraft and ammunition was still exploding within the flaming craft.
US forces closed in on the wrecked helicopter but at the time the reporters filing, he had still not been able to approach very close to it because of the continuing explosions that were going of as munitions blew amid the wreckage. The Americans had, however, reportedly recovered the bodies of 14 soldiers from the “Dirty Division” of US Marines. Witnesses reported that the US troops found the American crew’s corpses 100 meters or more from the burning hulk of the Chinook.
Attacks On US Force In Ramadi Reportedly Kills Nine Americans
There were intermittent clashes in the at-Ta’mim neighborhood of Ramadi on Tuesday between Resistance fighters and US troops backed by the so-called “Iraqi rapid deployment force”. The “rapid deployment force” was brought in from Baghdad after the local “national guard” of al-Anbar Province resigned en masse.
The correspondent of Mafkarat al-Islam in the city reported that the Resistance fired a variety of weapons, including pipe rockets. He reported that the battle would have developed into something larger had the American troops not withdrawn from the area.
According to Mafkarat al-Islam, witnesses reported that the fighting first broke out at 6 am Tuesday. In the course of the fighting, three various types of Humvee’s were set ablaze and nine US troops were reportedly killed. Another three American soldiers were apparently wounded in the clashes. The Jordanian newspaper, al-‘Arab al-Yawm, reported that only two Americans were killed in the fighting. According to a witness, two Resistance fighters were martyred; one a fraternal Arab volunteer from Qatar.
The fighting went on for about an hour and fifteen minutes before the Americans withdrew. The correspondent noted that the attacking Resistance force far outnumbered the Americans stationed in the neighborhood. The latter therefore withdrew after taking relatively high casualties.
At about the time of the US pull out, Resistance forces fired mortar rounds into the offices of the governorate of al-Anbar, used by the Americans as a headquarters
Resistance Barrage Targets US Barracks In Al-Qa’im
Resistance forces fired more than sixteen rockets and mortar rounds into the US base known as A22 in al-Qa’im on the border with Syria at 2pm Tuesday afternoon, local time. A customs officer told Mafkarat al-Islam that the barrage targeted the US rest barracks, but no fires were seen or sounds of secondary explosions were heard after the attack. |
