Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
New York Times
May 13, 2008 By Stephen Farrell and Michael R. Gordon
BAGHDAD — A surface-to-air missile was fired on Saturday at an American Apache helicopter flying over the Sadr City section of Baghdad, American military officials said on Monday. The attack, which had not been disclosed previously, represents the first time that a helicopter has come under missile attack in Sadr City since fighting erupted in the Shiite enclave in March.
The missile missed the aircraft. But the attack was sufficiently worrisome that the American military changed the route of an aerial tour of Baghdad it had arranged for a group of reporters, television cameramen and photographers on Monday. Two helicopters were to fly over or near Sadr City, but an official said the route had been changed because of the missile threat.
The United States military has made extensive use of Apache helicopters to try to stop militias from firing rockets at the Green Zone and to protect American and Iraqi troops in Sadr City from Shiite fighters armed with small arms, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and roadside bombs.
The helicopters have taken a heavy toll on the militia fighters. In an effort to blunt the American advantage in airpower, the militias have waited until dust storms have grounded the Apaches to unleash heavy rocket attacks on the Green Zone.
But the attack on Saturday suggests that the militias may intend to make a more determined challenge to the American dominance in the air.
Moktada al-Sadr’s movement and the main Shiite coalition within Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s government formally signed an agreement on Monday to end fighting in Sadr City, saying they hoped it would end seven weeks of violence.
It is unclear whether a cease-fire will take hold. Officials in Mr. Sadr’s movement said they would permit confiscation of heavy weapons and arrests of wanted men, but they warned against any attempt to detain all Mahdi Army fighters.
According to an American military official, who declined to be identified because the military has not publicly announced the attack, the attempt to shoot down an Apache occurred about 7:20 p.m. Saturday. An American patrol had been struck by a roadside bomb in Sadr City, and two Apache helicopters flew to the scene to investigate and provide protection for the troops.
The missile, described as an SA-7 shoulder-fired missile, was fired at one of the helicopters. It exploded in midair and neither aircraft was damaged.
Soldiers from an American Army civil affairs unit in Sadr City saw the missile ascending and reported that it seemed to have been launched from north of Al Quds Street, where the American military is building a large concrete wall to prevent militia fighters from infiltrating south.
The missile was also seen by Iraqi volunteers in the “Sons of Iraq” program who provide security in Adhamiya, a nearby neighborhood. They found the missile’s body, which was turned over to American troops.
Despite the agreement to end the fighting, there was no sign of a cease-fire along Al Quds Street. Militia fighters fired at Iraqi forces near the wall that the Americans are building. The Iraqi soldiers shot back, and an Apache helicopter fired a missile at a militia position.
American military officials released figures on Monday showing more than 700 attacks a month in Baghdad in March and again in April, primarily at American and Iraqi troops — nearly triple the level in February, before the Sadr City clashes began.
There have already been more than 200 attacks in May. Col. Allen Batschelet, the chief of staff of the military division securing Baghdad, said overall attacks are still down 42 percent since a peak of 1,200 last June.
Colonel Batschelet said that since American and Iraqi troops began the operation to curb the firing of rockets from Sadr City, more missiles are now being fired from areas outside that district. He also said the militias are also using more 122-millimeter weapons, whose 12-mile range is double that of 107-millimeter rockets, which account for most attacks against the Green Zone.
Many of the rockets and mortar shells fired by the militias have fallen wide of their intended targets. Of the 285 people killed or wounded by mortars and rockets in Baghdad since March 23, Colonel Batschelet said, 144 were Iraqis, 89 were coalition troops, 20 were Iraqi security troops, 15 were American civilians and 17 were of other nationalities.
Officials from hospitals in Sadr City said casualties declined over the weekend. At noon on Monday, however, ambulances were still delivering the wounded.
In some sections of Sadr City, residents seemed relaxed, walking on the street and shopping. Lines of cars were waiting for gas. The lines vanished a couple of weeks ago, because people were afraid to remain in the street for long periods of time.
Alissa J. Rubin contributed reporting.
May 13, 2008 By Stephen Farrell and Michael R. Gordon
BAGHDAD — A surface-to-air missile was fired on Saturday at an American Apache helicopter flying over the Sadr City section of Baghdad, American military officials said on Monday. The attack, which had not been disclosed previously, represents the first time that a helicopter has come under missile attack in Sadr City since fighting erupted in the Shiite enclave in March.
The missile missed the aircraft. But the attack was sufficiently worrisome that the American military changed the route of an aerial tour of Baghdad it had arranged for a group of reporters, television cameramen and photographers on Monday. Two helicopters were to fly over or near Sadr City, but an official said the route had been changed because of the missile threat.
The United States military has made extensive use of Apache helicopters to try to stop militias from firing rockets at the Green Zone and to protect American and Iraqi troops in Sadr City from Shiite fighters armed with small arms, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and roadside bombs.
The helicopters have taken a heavy toll on the militia fighters. In an effort to blunt the American advantage in airpower, the militias have waited until dust storms have grounded the Apaches to unleash heavy rocket attacks on the Green Zone.
But the attack on Saturday suggests that the militias may intend to make a more determined challenge to the American dominance in the air.
Moktada al-Sadr’s movement and the main Shiite coalition within Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s government formally signed an agreement on Monday to end fighting in Sadr City, saying they hoped it would end seven weeks of violence.
It is unclear whether a cease-fire will take hold. Officials in Mr. Sadr’s movement said they would permit confiscation of heavy weapons and arrests of wanted men, but they warned against any attempt to detain all Mahdi Army fighters.
According to an American military official, who declined to be identified because the military has not publicly announced the attack, the attempt to shoot down an Apache occurred about 7:20 p.m. Saturday. An American patrol had been struck by a roadside bomb in Sadr City, and two Apache helicopters flew to the scene to investigate and provide protection for the troops.
The missile, described as an SA-7 shoulder-fired missile, was fired at one of the helicopters. It exploded in midair and neither aircraft was damaged.
Soldiers from an American Army civil affairs unit in Sadr City saw the missile ascending and reported that it seemed to have been launched from north of Al Quds Street, where the American military is building a large concrete wall to prevent militia fighters from infiltrating south.
The missile was also seen by Iraqi volunteers in the “Sons of Iraq” program who provide security in Adhamiya, a nearby neighborhood. They found the missile’s body, which was turned over to American troops.
Despite the agreement to end the fighting, there was no sign of a cease-fire along Al Quds Street. Militia fighters fired at Iraqi forces near the wall that the Americans are building. The Iraqi soldiers shot back, and an Apache helicopter fired a missile at a militia position.
American military officials released figures on Monday showing more than 700 attacks a month in Baghdad in March and again in April, primarily at American and Iraqi troops — nearly triple the level in February, before the Sadr City clashes began.
There have already been more than 200 attacks in May. Col. Allen Batschelet, the chief of staff of the military division securing Baghdad, said overall attacks are still down 42 percent since a peak of 1,200 last June.
Colonel Batschelet said that since American and Iraqi troops began the operation to curb the firing of rockets from Sadr City, more missiles are now being fired from areas outside that district. He also said the militias are also using more 122-millimeter weapons, whose 12-mile range is double that of 107-millimeter rockets, which account for most attacks against the Green Zone.
Many of the rockets and mortar shells fired by the militias have fallen wide of their intended targets. Of the 285 people killed or wounded by mortars and rockets in Baghdad since March 23, Colonel Batschelet said, 144 were Iraqis, 89 were coalition troops, 20 were Iraqi security troops, 15 were American civilians and 17 were of other nationalities.
Officials from hospitals in Sadr City said casualties declined over the weekend. At noon on Monday, however, ambulances were still delivering the wounded.
In some sections of Sadr City, residents seemed relaxed, walking on the street and shopping. Lines of cars were waiting for gas. The lines vanished a couple of weeks ago, because people were afraid to remain in the street for long periods of time.
Alissa J. Rubin contributed reporting.