Civilian Helicopter Downed Near Baghdad, 11 Dead

A Bulgarian civilian helicopter was shot down 20km north of Baghdad by a surface-to-air missile or a rocket-propelled grenade, killing three Bulgarian crew members, six Americans, and two others (reports conflict as to whether they were Fijian or Filipino). The Islamic Army in Iraq claimed responsibility for the downing, posting a video on the Internet showing the shooting of one crewmember, the sole survivor of the crash. According to Chad Evans at In The Bullpen, the terrorists claim in the video that they downed the helicopter as an act of revenge "for the Muslims killed in the mosques of Fallujah." Chad also links to the video.

The Americans worked for Blackwater Security Consulting, a subsidiary of the North Carolina-based security contractor, Blackwater USA, supplying security support for U.S. diplomats.

The helicopter was a Russian-made MI-8, owned and operated by a Bulgarian company, Sofia-based Heli-Air, chartered by SkyLink Air of Toronto, Canada, and flying under contract to the U.S. Department of Defense. It's believed to be the first civilian aircraft downed in Iraq. If so, I don't think it's because of restraint on the part of the terrorists. They are out to kill anybody they can. Innocent women, men, children, and babies have been regularly slaughtered. They have killed their family members and their neighbors. So, it is not surprising nor a change in strategy that they have shot at and hit a civilian aircraft. They have tried before. Unfortunately, this time they hit their target.

Bastards!

[Update] The Australian reports that the two Fijians who perished were former soldiers, Jim Atalifo and Timoci Lalaqila. They worked for Global Risks Strategies, a Fijian company, and provided security for diplomats.

The Bulgarian News Network has identified the helicopter crewmen as pilots Lyubomir Kostov and Georgi Naidenov and board-engineer Stoyan Anchev.