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Jan. 3, 2006

U.S. Denies Iraq Crash Claim

Iraqi Police Claimed 2 Dead In Chopper Crash; U.S. Says Mistaken

By Joel Roberts
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    • A police officer removes debris from the road after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) targeting a U.S. convoy hit a civilian vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on Monday, Jan. 2, 2006. One civilian was killed and two others were wounded in the attack. Photo

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    • Iraqis crowd around the wreck of burned out vehicles at the site where a suicide car bomber detonated his explosives in Baghdad on Friday, Dec. 30. A suicide car bomber and a mortar killed six people and injured 23 people in two separate attacks Friday in downtown Baghdad, police said. Photo

      Iraqis crowd around the wreck of burned out vehicles at the site where a suicide car bomber detonated his explosives in Baghdad on Friday, Dec. 30. A suicide car bomber and a mortar killed six people and injured 23 people in two separate attacks Friday in downtown Baghdad, police said.  (AP)

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      Salaa Haider, 28, talks to a medic at a hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, on Friday, Dec. 30, 2005, after sustaining injuries from an exploding Improvised Explosive Device (IED) when he parked his car.  (AP)

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(CBS/AP)  The U.S. military said Tuesday that none of its helicopters had crashed after searching for a downed aircraft following a report by an Iraqi army soldier that one went down northeast of Baghdad.

The report of a downed helicopter was forwarded to U.S. officials after an Iraqi soldier said he saw ground fire take down an American aircraft, according to the joint coordination center of the Diyala provincial police.

Iraqi police said and sources previously reported that a U.S. helicopter crashed northeast of Baghdad, killing the two Americans aboard.

But Maj. Steve Warren, a spokesman for the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, said an Iraqi soldier saw a helicopter flying close to the ground and mistakenly thought it had crashed.

"There was no helicopter crash," Warren said.

The military dispatched helicopters and ground crews to search the area but found nothing, Warren said.

The 101st Combat Aviation Brigade could account for all of its aircraft, said Lt. Col. Ed Loomis. The Diyala police later said an Iraqi soldier reported the downed helicopter and that U.S. forces were alerted.

In related developments:

  • U.S. aircraft bombed a structure that three suspected insurgents were hiding in, U.S. officials said Tuesday, and Iraqi police said seven people were killed. The U.S. military said an unmanned aircraft spotted three individuals planting a roadside bomb Monday night near Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad, and that Navy F-14s were called in. The three individuals were followed by air to a nearby building. "The individuals were assessed as posing a threat," the military said. Seven people were killed and four were wounded, Iraqi police Capt. Arkan Jassim said.

  • The sister of Iraq's Interior Minister was kidnapped in Baghdad Tuesday by gunmen who killed one of her bodyguards and seriously injured another, an Interior Ministry official said. Bayan Jabr's sister was taken the Baghdad's northeastern neighborhood of Qadissiya in the afternoon, said Adnan Thabet Commander of the Interior Ministry's special forces. He did not provide any further details about the incident or the minister's sister including her name and age.

  • Hundreds of Iraqi pilgrims are stuck at Baghdad airport having been refused permission to enter Saudi Arabia to perform the annual Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca. Many said they have now spent three days at the airport, despite having the correct travel documents. One pilgrim called on Iraq's leaders to resolve the situation. "What have we done wrong?" asked another, weeping with frustration.

  • Saddam Hussein has told his lawyers if he is sentenced to death he wants his life to be ended by firing squad, not hung. Hussein is currently on trial for murder and could be sentenced to death if convicted. His lawyers say because Hussein maintains he is still commander in chief of Iraq's armed forces, a firing squad is "the right way" to execute a military leader.

  • Iraq's crude oil exports were 4.7 percent lower in 2005 than in 2004, an oil official said Tuesday, underscoring the difficulties Iraq has had in returning its oil production to pre-war levels. A total of 508 million barrels were exported in 2005, or 1.41 million barrels a day, an oil official told Dow Jones newswires on condition of anonymity because of threats to his security.

  • Tuesday, gunmen attacked a car carrying construction workers in western Baghdad, killing three and wounding two, police Capt. Qasim Hussein said. Gunmen in the same neighborhood fired on a car carrying civilians, killing two and wounding three, according to police 1st Lt. Thair Mahmoud.

    Continued



    ©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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