Iraqi fighters shot down a U.S. Apache attack helicopter in west Baghdad on Sunday, the US military said. The two crewmembers were killed.
Heavy fighting was taking place in the area for the third straight day. "A 1st Cavalry A8-64 Apache helicopter was downed by unknown ground fire west of Baghdad at around 11:05 a.m.," the spokesman said, according to The AP.
American soldiers blocked traffic on the main highway out of Baghdad on the western edge. Large palls of black smoke were seen rising from the nearby area of Abu Ghraib, where at least four helicopters were seen hovering overhead.
Meanwhile, two security agents for the German Embassy in Baghdad who have been missing in Iraq for several days are most likely dead, the German Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
The two Germans, ages 38 and 25, were traveling from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad on a routine trip Wednesday and were ambushed near Fallujah, according to the ministry.
"Based on current intelligence, it is unfortunately highly probable that both security agents have perished," an official with the ministry said, according to The AP. But, "a final confirmation is still outstanding." Other vehicles in the convoy reached the embassy on Thursday after coming under fire, the ministry said. (Albawaba.com)
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