Fierce Battle In Central Baghdad

U.S., Iraqi Troops Conduct Raids North Of Green Zone, Iraq Says 30 Militants Killed

(CBS/AP)  Just off Haifa Street is a square where a large statue for Saddam's cousin and brother-in-law, Adnan Khairallah, still stands. It was widely believed that Saddam was behind Khairallah's death in a helicopter crash in 1989 because the defense minister was becoming too popular.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, meanwhile, offered condolences for the five Americans killed in the helicopter crash in Baghdad, called them good men and said he had traveled with them. The aircraft, belonging to the Blackwater USA security company, went down as it flew over a dangerous Sunni neighborhood while a gunfight was raging.

Confusion still cloaked the circumstances of the crash.

A senior Iraqi military official said a machine gunner downed the helicopter and four of the men were shot execution-style on the ground, but a U.S. military official in Washington said there were no indications the aircraft had been shot out of the sky. Three Sunni insurgent groups separately claimed responsibility for the crash, with one posting on its Web site the ID cards of one of the Americans.

In Washington, a U.S. defense official said four of the five were shot in the back of the head, but he did not know whether they were alive when shot. The defense official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.

The helicopter went down after racing to help a U.S. Embassy ground convoy that came under fire in a neighborhood on the east side of the Tigris, said a U.S. diplomatic official in Washington.

The doomed helicopter swooped into electrical wires before the crash. U.S. officials said it was not clear if gunfire brought down the aircraft or caused its pilot to veer into the wires during evasive maneuvers.

A second helicopter also was struck, but there were no casualties among its crew, said the diplomatic official, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to make statements.

An American official in Baghdad, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said three Blackwater helicopters were involved. One had landed for an unknown reason and one of the Blackwater employees was shot at that point, he said. That helicopter apparently was able to take off but a second one then crashed in the same area, he added without explaining the involvement of the third helicopter. It was unclear whether the wounded employee survived.

Al-Jazeera television said the 1920 Revolution Brigades, a Sunni insurgent group, claimed responsibility for shooting down the helicopter and showed a video taken by a cell phone of a mass of smoldering twisted metal that it was said was the wreckage of the chopper.

The Islamic Army, in a statement posted on the Internet, said it downed a helicopter at about 1 p.m. Tuesday in the nearby Maydan area.

Another Sunni insurgent group, the Ansar al-Sunnah Army, also claimed responsibility and posted identity cards of men who were on the helicopter on a Web site, including at least two that bore the name of Arthur Laguna, who was later identified by his mother as among those killed.

Laguna was a 52-year-old pilot for Blackwater who previously served in the Army and the California National Guard, his mother, Lydia Laguna of Rio Linda, Calif., told the AP.

It was the second helicopter crash in Iraq in four days. A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter went down Saturday northeast of Baghdad, killing all 12 service members on board. The American military in Baghdad has refused to confirm a report by a Pentagon official that debris at the crash site indicated the helicopter was downed by a surface-to-air missile.

[scouser691]

Mbievtea, is that your own dumb fuzzy feelgood bullsh*t or is it a Sean Hannity quote?

[defirststate]

mbievtea
feeling a bit strident, eh? Yelling tends to be the tool of the one least able to reason a point. Most of us in the U S who are less enthusiastic about the polciies, especially regarding Iraq of the object of your awe. You might want to specify the specific fascists you are sure will lose. Do you mean the bush/cheney fascists or the foreign fascists? A convincing argument can be easily made for labelling either group with the term fascist. dumbya and little dickey c could have taken their foreign policy from adolph's record with some names changed.

This administration has an across the board honesty problem. With regard to Iraq it has been especially dishonest, especially incompetent or the more likely option of both exceptionally dishonest and incompetent.

In case bill orally's verse of the day is his "what about clinton?" I'll save us both some time and answer now, that when clinton lied, nobody died because of His lie.

[mbievtea]

LET IT BE KNOWN TO ALL THE ISLAMIC FACISTS AND ENEMIES OF FREEDOM ... WE ARE GOING TO COME AFTER YOU. WE ARE GOING TO FIND YOU AND FIGHT YOU. YOU WILL NOT DEFEAT THE PURSUIT OF FREEDOM AND HUMAN RIGHTS THAT CONTINUES TO MOVE FORWARD DESPITE OBSTACLES. THE FACISTS ARE GOING TO LOSE. IT WILL TAKE EFFORT AND IT WILL TAKE GUTS ... THANK YOU PRESIDENT BUSH FOR BEING OUR PRESIDENT AT THIS CRITICAL MOMENT IN HISTORY!

[mh4cbs1]

So where ARE the spineless DEMOCRATS?

They HAVE the power to end this disaster! This needless horrific WAR IF TERROR started by the NeoCons with the complicit Democrats and corporate medial.

But the Democrats won't stop this War. And their hands are becoming more bloodstained every day.

[mh4cbs1]

donez3:

"Hate Our Way of Life"??

Gee, where have I heard that propaganda before. Don't be such a chump, sucking up little phrases like that into your little brain. It's a bit more complex.

For example, if the US were Oil Rich, but militarily weak, and a Moslem superpower invaded, starting a War that took the lives of your family memebers or friends, sent people off to prisons like Ahbu Grahib without charges, set up permanent military bases... and suppose this superpower had a track record of meddling in third world countries (you know the overthrowing democracies, installing and supporting friendly brutal dictators (like Saddam), raping the natural resources of your country,...).

Well, how would you feel about it?

[mh4cbs1]

JAIL BUSH JAIL CHENEY

JOIN the ANTI-WAR PROTEST SATURDAY in WASHINGTON DC

CBS won't give it coverage, as they have ignored the anti-war movement since pre-Invasion days (too bad for America).

[scouser691]

Notblue, Osama is laughing his balls off at our little quagmire adventure in Iraq. Best terrorist recruiting tool ever.

[catt42701]

If I could have my wish I would wish:

That all the people would finally realize that all the prophets and all the holy men said that violence was wrong and that all the people in all the world would suddenly believe it and put down all things that could be used and were being used as weapons and walk away from it, all at the same time so no one would be saying you first.

Dream on.

[notblue]

Bluestardad, that image of an American soldier being beheaded is why we fight these radicals, hello! Do you think for one minute the Islamic barbarians will stop if we leave them alone? by leaving them alone, which seems to be your only strategy, is a strategy the terrorists are banking on.

[talkingham]

If the Bush crowd had not been so preoccupied with looting as much money out of Iraq as possible instead of gearing up for the insurgency that was sure to follow our occupation we might not be in this mess. The Bush team fired or retired every high ranking military officer who disagreed with their plan and the numbers of troops it would take. Bush still likes to "play" Army I guess. Cheney didn't blink once during the state of union address. I'm thinking he's an android.

[random_radar]

educates and superdem,
I like your comments.

I read the Newsweek article last week about the war. They quoted some survey (Pew maybe?) that 90% of Iraqis view the United States as an occupying power.

At the start of the war, our leaders said the real battle was for the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. It sounds like an overwhelming loss.

Why do we need to give war a chance? What goal can we accomplish? The only peace we can bring by bloodshed is the stillness of the grave. I doubt that we can kill enough people to bring peace with the sword.

So I am sorry but I have no patience to invest in a surge in killing.

[bluestardad]

Wait unit one U.S. Soldier is shown on Video Pleading for their lives while someone cuts off their head! Then you will see how the American People deal with our Elected Officials that have sent us to this war and supported this surge after we voted for withdrawl.

[melofelo-2009]

I agree with alot of the post on here imo they should protect the borders and let them fight it out.

[educates]

Bring the troops home in an orderly fashion. No more combat roles for US. Saddam kept the lid on by being ruthless. There is no hope for Democracy. What are we fighting for? We are fighting because Bush/Cheney/Gates do not understand the nature of a civil war. There is no way to win militarily. There is a slim chance diplomacy could work.
Remember the Vietnam song, "Two more soldiers died today."
Impeach the White House.

[superdem]

The Israelis have been trying to suppress the Palestinians for nearly sixty years. How's that going for them ? Killing their leaders, raiding their safehouses, supporting the most cooperative factions - still an impossible mess. Instead of learning anything from that - much less trying to solve it - Bush got America into the very same mess, trying to suppress the Iraqi majority. It's not working, it will never work. So what if they slaughter each other the moment we leave ? We can't hold back that ocean of hatred. We need to leave, let it happen, and pick up the pieces if possible afterwards. The world may be appalled but it's on THEM, not us. Saddam was preventing it all, but then, we HUNG him.

[drinuk]

GetSerious1 Can't they find you something to do in the republican office other than these Blogs, you are not up to the job sonny. Go Make The Coffee.
And Oh! ask the Brits in Basra if the Iraq security forces have been infiltrated. You Muppet.

[getagrip54]

leliac states "but I also feel that it would be wrong to abandon the Iraqi people at this point and it would be a waste of the sacrafices made by our miltiary and their families"

Bush had a nice dream but it was only a dream. It was the Iraqi people who abandoned the US first. You may argue that the insurgents, whether Sunni or Shiite, are only a small percentage of the population, but its clear the majority of Iraqis see the US forces as unwelcome invaders. Increasing the troop levels without a withdrawal strategy will only make things worse, like throwing gasoline on a fire. The Iraqis will have to work things out themselves and unless some hard decisions are made, it will continue to be bloody. Unfortunatley the only potentially peaceful solution I can see would involve partion of the country (Shiite, Sunni, Kurd). This is what happened to India after the British left and to Yugoslavia after Tito's death.

[getserious1]

wow! Another prediction from an 'expert': bluestardad!!

Ya know, I watch alot of football and I watch alot of 'Experts' predict who will win each game. They are wrong a very significant amount of the time.
Why do I mention this?

Well, Bluestardad likes to present him/herself as an expert on all things, especially the war in Iraq. See, he isn't just 'predicting' we will lose, he is insisting that he 'KNOWS' this new strategy won't work. He is 'PREDICTING' that soldiers will be kidnapped as a result of working with Iraq military. There is NO basis for this prediction except for his continuous pessimism. Sure it sounds like it could be true, and it is certainly a possibility, but it is NOT a forgone absolute.

[netadmin1-2009]

Bluestardad

Sir, you need your head examined. I support getting our troops out of Iraq - It can't happen overnight and there is no way I am responsible for their deaths.

[leliac]

In response to bluestardad...yes, there are some infiltrators. My husband (during his second deployment) was on a MiTT team and more than once, when he sent his soldiers behind the wire for r&r, he was the only American on the IA(Iraqi Army) side. He took the time to know his IA soldiers as people and he cared about and for them and because of that, he was protected by his IA soldiers. The biggest mistake soldiers make is not really caring about the Iraq soldiers as people. They are no different than us. For example, if you treat me as an inferior or someone that you talk to only when you absolutly have to, I won't worry much about your well being, but if you treat me as a person and care about me, I will treat you the same way. They are no different. My husband and I are proud of the way his IA soldiers learned and took responsibility for their area, which is a northern city often in the news. The MiTT approach gives our troops the opportunity to establish trust and be more effective teachers. I know what you are feeling with a loved one in harms way and I pray for the safe return of your son or daughter. I hope that the mission can be sucessfully accomplished and our people can come home...but I also feel that it would be wrong to abandon the Iraqi people at this point and it would be a waste of the sacrafices made by our miltiary and their families.
Respectfully, lc