From
ABC News online:
BAGHDAD, Iraq Apr 21, 2005 -- A commercial helicopter contracted by the U.S. government was shot down by missile fire north of the Iraqi capital Thursday, killing at least nine people, including six American contractors, officials said.
More info below...
The Americans were from Blackwater.
The six Americans worked for security contractor Blackwater USA, the U.S. Embassy said. The North Carolina-based contracting firm provides security for State Department officials in Iraq.
It was unclear whether the civilians' employers were under contract to the Pentagon or the State Department, U.S. officials in Washington said.
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 Mi-8 helicopter went down about 12 miles north of Baghdad, the U.S. Embassy said. Video on television showed burning wreckage from the Russian-built craft and personal belongings scattered across a wide area.
The helicopter was owned by Bulgaria-based Heli Air and chartered by Toronto-based SkyLink Aviation Inc., said SkyLink air operations manager Paul Greenaway. The helicopter was flying to Tikrit, he said.
Greenaway said the six Americans were "doing some sort of security work." He said the victims included three Bulgarian crew members and two security guards from Fiji.
Per Reuters, the death toll was 11, not 9:
The Russian-built Mi-8 helicopter was hit by a rocket- propelled grenade as it flew over a deserted area north of Baghdad, Bulgarian officials and the U.S. military said. It was believed to be the first downing of a civilian aircraft in Iraq.
A militant group said it had shot down the helicopter.
"The Islamic Army in Iraq claims responsibility for bringing down a ... cargo aircraft and killing all those on board," said the short posting on a Web site often used by Iraqi rebels, adding a full statement and video would follow.
The authenticity of the brief statement could not be verified but it was posted by a user who often releases statements from the group.
