BAGHDAD,
June 12 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - A U.S. helicopter was
shot down Thursday, June 12, and several people were killed in overnight
clashes with the U.S.-led occupation forces in western Iraq, which has
seen a spate of attacks on U.S. troops.
"One
AH-64 Apache was apparently shot down by hostile fire today in western
Iraq. Coalition ground forces were able to recover the uninjured
two-member crew almost immediately and secure the crash site,"
Agence-France Presse (AFP) quoted the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) as
saying.
"Two
additional Apache helicopters assisted in engaging irregular forces in
the vicinity of the downed aircraft," Centcom said in a statement.
"One
coalition soldier received minor wounds," Centcom said.
A
civilian spokesman for the U.S.-led forces, meanwhile, said that several
people were killed in overnight clashes.
"Last
night there were a number of fatalities in the contacts with coalition
forces that are going on in western Iraq," he said, declining to
elaborate ahead of a briefing by ground forces chief Lieutenant General
David McKiernan later Thursday.
"A
coalition raid was conducted 150 kilometers (95 miles) northwest of
Baghdad on Wednesday as part of the continued effort to eradicate Baath
party loyalists, paramilitary groups and other subversive
elements," it said.
"The
assault on the terrorist training camp began at approximately 1:45 am
Baghdad time (2145 GMT Wednesday) with a coordinated air strike.
"A
direct firefight ensued with ground forces early this (Thursday)
morning. Ground forces included members of the 101st Airborne
Division," it said.
In
yet another incident, Centcom said a U.S. F-16 fighter crashed southwest
of the Iraqi capital earlier in the day Thursday, but the reasons for
the accident were not known.
"A
U.S. Air Force F-16CG fighter aircraft crashed at approximately 6:30 am
(0230 GMT) local time today (Thursday) southwest of Baghdad. The
aircraft was flying from a forward-deployed air base in Southwest Asia
supporting operations in Iraq," Centcom said.
"The
pilot ejected safely from the single-seat aircraft and was rescued at
approximately 7:30 am (0330 GMT) ... The cause of the incident is
unknown at this time and will be investigated," a statement said.
No
To 'Right Of Return'
In
another development, an Iranian official said Thuarsday that the
U.S.-led forces in Iraq have prevented Iraqi refugees in Iran from
returning home, triggering "unrest" among the 200,000 Iraqi
refugees in Iran.
"Unfortunately
we faced some problems with the occupying powers in Iraq which forced us
to stop the returns," Hosseini, who was speaking through an
interpreter, told journalists.
Iran
shelters about 2.2 million mainly Afghan and Iraqi refugees, the largest
refugee population of any country in the world, and has said that it can
no longer afford their upkeep.
