SAMARRA: An Iraqi military helicopter was shot down by suspected jihadist fighters yesterday, five days after a similar incident in the same location north of Baghdad, officers said.
The helicopter was a Bell 407 flying back from the Baiji refinery, 200km north of Baghdad, where federal forces have been fending off Islamic State fighters for four months. An aviation officer said both pilots, two majors, were killed in the attack over Seiniye, west of Baiji.
“They were on a security mission and coming back from the refinery. They flew above the wreckage of the other helicopter,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A Russian-made Mi-35 was shot down on Friday in the same area.
Iraq last year received the last of 30 Bell 407 helicopters from the United States. They are designed as commercial helicopters but can be armed with machine guns and Hellfire missiles. AFP
