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Breaking News 15 Us Soldiers Killed 21

Juan Cole 11/02/2003

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Breaking News: 15 US Soldiers Killed, 21 Injured in Helicopter Attack

Guerrillas used SAM-7 shoulder-fired missiles to down a CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter south of Fallujah. The troops, so many of whom were tragically killed or wounded, were being taken out of the deadly Sunni Arab triangle for much needed rest and recreation. There are reputedly thousands of SAM-7 missiles and shoulder-held missile launchers in Iraq. Only a few hundred have been turned in for a reward by Iraqis or captured by US forces. Guerrilla’s have routinely fired SAM-7 missiles at aircraft attempting to land at Baghdad International Airport, but have been foiled by the special technique of spiral landings, executed by smaller aircraft, which makes them very difficult targets. Some say there have been 28 such attacks in recent months! One reason the airport has not opened to civilian airliners is that the airliners cannot execute these tight spiral landings and so would be vulnerable to a missile strike.

Local inhabitants in Fallujah celebrated the downing, blessing the “freedom fighters” fighting “the American occupation.”

This was the second helicopter shot down in the past week.

http://www.news-journal.com/news/content/news/

ap_story.html/National/AP.V0932.AP-Iraq-

Fort-Carso.html;COXnetJSessionID=1lfBGxFACP

syymt0oBztj4uZ1KwO2N1oeXO8pmEaKtg0E5wg

LWtt!-1792961607?urac=n&urvf=106780243317

80.3506167565712729

For more on the SAM-7 strikes at Baghdad airport:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/

tribune-review/specialreports/iraq/

s_161517.html

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About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page

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