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April 21, 2005
Islamic Army in Iraq Missile Fire Downs Iraq Chopper; 11 Dead; Includes Aftermath and (WARNING! VERY GRAPHIC & DISTURBING FOOTAGE)Execution Video of Surviver of Helicopter Crash
A commercial helicopter was shot down by missile fire north of the Iraqi capital Thursday, killing 11 people, including six American contractors, officials said.
Bulgaria's Defense Ministry said the Russian-made helicopter was downed by missile fire and the victims included a three-member Bulgarian crew.
A Toronto-based charter company said there were two bodyguards from Fiji on board, while Bulgaria's Transport Ministry said they were from the Philippines.
The Philippine mission in Baghdad said it had no information that any of its nationals were on the helicopter.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said the six Americans were employees of Blackwater Security Consulting a subsidiary of North Carolina-based Blackwater USA and were assisting the Bureau of Diplomatic Security in protecting American diplomats in Iraq.
"They played a critical role in our effort to bring a better way of life to the people of a country who have not experienced freedom and opportunity for many years," Ereli said.
He said he could not confirm the cause of the crash.
Two U.S. military officials in Baghdad initially said the helicopter was contracted by the Defense Department, but the U.S. Embassy later said that was untrue. It gave no information on the contractor.
It was unclear whether the civilian employees of Blackwater were under contract to the Pentagon or the State Department, U.S. officials in Washington said.
On March 13, two American security contractors working for Blackwater Security were killed and a third was wounded in a roadside bombing south of Baghdad on the main road to Hillah.
Last year, four Blackwater employees were killed in Fallujah, and their bodies were burned and mutilated. Two of the corpses were strung up on a bridge over the Euphrates River.
The deaths touched off a Marine assault on insurgents in the city.
Ereli said the U.S. government "routinely" hires contractors "around the world" to provide security for diplomats, facilities or the activities of people connected with the government.
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Islamic Army in Iraq Missile Fire Downs Iraq Chopper; 11 Dead; Includes Aftermath and (WARNING! VERY GRAPHIC & DISTURBING FOOTAGE)Execution Video of Surviver of Helicopter Crash
A commercial helicopter was shot down by missile fire north of the Iraqi capital Thursday, killing 11 people, including six American contractors, officials said.
Bulgaria's Defense Ministry said the Russian-made helicopter was downed by missile fire and the victims included a three-member Bulgarian crew.
A Toronto-based charter company said there were two bodyguards from Fiji on board, while Bulgaria's Transport Ministry said they were from the Philippines.
The Philippine mission in Baghdad said it had no information that any of its nationals were on the helicopter.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said the six Americans were employees of Blackwater Security Consulting a subsidiary of North Carolina-based Blackwater USA and were assisting the Bureau of Diplomatic Security in protecting American diplomats in Iraq.
"They played a critical role in our effort to bring a better way of life to the people of a country who have not experienced freedom and opportunity for many years," Ereli said.
He said he could not confirm the cause of the crash.
Two U.S. military officials in Baghdad initially said the helicopter was contracted by the Defense Department, but the U.S. Embassy later said that was untrue. It gave no information on the contractor.
It was unclear whether the civilian employees of Blackwater were under contract to the Pentagon or the State Department, U.S. officials in Washington said.
On March 13, two American security contractors working for Blackwater Security were killed and a third was wounded in a roadside bombing south of Baghdad on the main road to Hillah.
Last year, four Blackwater employees were killed in Fallujah, and their bodies were burned and mutilated. Two of the corpses were strung up on a bridge over the Euphrates River.
The deaths touched off a Marine assault on insurgents in the city.
Ereli said the U.S. government "routinely" hires contractors "around the world" to provide security for diplomats, facilities or the activities of people connected with the government.
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