- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two
U.S. military helicopters made crash landings in intense operations along
the Kuwait-Iraq border and one was later destroyed by American warplanes
to keep it out of the Iraqi hands, U.S. defense officials said on Thursday.
-
- None of the six crew members aboard the MH-53 "Pave
Low" Special Operations helicopter or the two crew members on the
AH-64 "Apache" attack helicopter was injured in the incidents
on Wednesday night and Thursday, the officials said.
-
- Iraq's military claimed it had shot down the Pave Low,
but U.S. officials said it had made a safe crash landing.
-
- Apparently neither chopper was struck by ground fire,
they told Reuters.
-
- The MH-53 crash landing in southern Iraq on Wednesday
night was the first known loss of an American aircraft in the war against
Iraq. It occurred before U.S. bombing and cruise missile raids were launched
against targets on the outskirts of Baghdad.
-
- There was no indication why the big, twin-engine helicopter
had crashed, but it was later bombed by American warplanes after the crew
was rescued by another helicopter, officials said.
-
- "The helicopter is in little pieces now," said
one official.
-
- The AH-64 Apache made a "hard landing" in northern
Kuwait on Thursday after suffering what may have been a mechanical problem,
U.S. officials said.
-
- They said neither of the two crewmen on the heavily armed
helicopter was injured. The Apache was taking part in an attack mission
into Iraq but there was no indication that it was struck by enemy fire
before landing in Kuwait, officials said. It was later returned to operations.
-
- The big Pave Low, designed for clandestine, low-level
movement deep into enemy territory, was part of a wide thrust to get elite
U.S. forces into areas of Iraq ahead of a major ground invasion "at
the appropriate time," according to one of the officials.
-
- The Pentagon refused comment. "We do not discuss
any operational incidents," said Bryan Whitman, a Defense Department
spokesman, in response to questions.
-
- The MH-53J, the most advanced version of the big chopper,
is equipped with armor plating and a combination of three 7.62mm miniguns
or 50 caliber machine guns. It can transport 38 troops.
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