New Delhi: An al-Qaeda-backed group release video of what it said was the shooting down of a US helicopter in Iraq.
The video, posted on a website used by insurgents, showed an apparent missile hitting the helicopter.
The two-minute video - which says it shows the "downing of US aircraft on February 7" - shows a helicopter that appears to be a Sea Knight flying. An object trailing smoke is seen in the sky nearby, and then the craft bursts into orange and red flames, with a spray of debris emerging from it.
The footage also showed the plane pulling away while trailing smoke before being engulfed in flames and crashing behind distant trees.
The video was issued by the Islamic State in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iraqi insurgent groups that includes al-Qaeda in Iraq. The group on Wednesday issued a written claim of responsibility for the craft's downing and had promised a video would follow.
The US military said it had no immediate comment but was checking the video of the crash of the Marine transport helicopter, one of six helicopter that came down in Iraq in three weeks.
The insurgent group - the Islamic State in Iraq - on Wednesday claimed responsibility for downing the helicopter in western Anbar province.
Comments
0 comment