US Shock At Iraq Helicopter Toll

1) Planning Seen In Iraqi Attacks On U.S. Copters:

Documents captured from Iraqi insurgents indicate that some of the recent fatal attacks against American helicopters are a result of a carefully planned strategy to focus on downing coalition aircraft, one that American officials say has been carried out by mounting coordinated assaults with machine guns, rockets and surface-to-air missiles.

The documents, said to have been drafted by Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, show that the militants were preparing to “concentrate on the air force.” The contents of the documents are described in an American intelligence report that was reviewed by The New York Times.

Seized near Baghdad, the documents reflect the insurgents’ military preparations from late last year, including plans for attacking aircraft using a variety of weapons.

Officials say they are a fresh indication that the United States is facing an array of “adaptive” adversaries in Iraq, enemies who are likely to step up their attacks as American forces expand their efforts to secure Baghdad, the Iraqi capital.

“Attacks on coalition aircraft probably will increase if helicopter missions expand during the latest phase of the Baghdad Security Plan or if insurgents seek to emulate their recent successes,” notes the intelligence report, which analyzes the recent helicopter crashes.

After downing the helicopters, the insurgents often laid ambushes for the American ground troops they expected to come to the rescue, sometimes using roadside bombs that they placed in advance. American troops were attacked in five instances in which they rushed to the scene of aircraft that had been shot down, military officials said.

The intelligence report supports the concerns expressed by an American general this month that militants were adapting their tactics in an effort to step up attacks against helicopters. Such strikes have increased since the United States expanded its military operations in Baghdad in August. From December to January, the number of antiaircraft attacks rose by 17 percent, according to an American military report.

The insurgents try to plan their attacks by studying flight patterns near American bases and along supply routes, according to the intelligence report.

In several recent helicopter downings, the attackers used a variety of weapons, including shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and unguided rockets that cannot be diverted by the flares helicopters disperse to fool heat-seeking systems.

Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, which the intelligence report says leads the insurgent group known as the Islamic State of Iraq, has claimed responsibility for shooting down three of the helicopters. Those helicopters were downed near Taji, Karma and in Diyala Province.

While the captured documents point to careful planning, it is not entirely clear whether this is an effort by some of the militant commanders in those areas or a nationwide strategy by the group.

Maj. Gen. James E. Simmons, a deputy commander of the American-led multinational force in Iraq and an Army aviator, told reporters this week that...“We are engaged with a thinking enemy,”... “This enemy understands based on the reporting and everything else that we are in the process of executing the prime minister’s new plan for the security of Baghdad. And they understand the strategic implications of shooting down an aircraft.”

General Simmons said the American military had not concluded whether a single militant cell was behind the attacks...

American helicopters are being used extensively as American troops try to avoid the bombs hidden along streets and roads. Low-flying aircraft are also vulnerable when they pass over urban areas. In 2005, American Army helicopters flew 240,000 hours. In 2007, Army helicopters are expected to fly more than 400,000 hours, military officials said.

The recent spate of helicopter attacks began Jan. 20 with the shooting of a Black Hawk in Diyala Province that killed 12 soldiers on board. Three days later, a helicopter operated by the Blackwater security company crashed, leading to the deaths of five civilian contractors, including one thought to have been killed by militants surviving the crash. On Jan. 25, the Black Hawk helicopter in General Simmons’s group was forced to land near Hit, but there were no casualties.

2) US Shock At Helicopter Toll:

THE shocking toll of six American helicopters shot down in Iraq within three weeks has sparked a Pentagon inquiry into the use of surface-to-air (Sam) missiles against the aircraft.

“Is there a concern? Yes, there is definitely a concern,” said a Pentagon official about the helicopter downings. “Are we looking at it closely? You bet.”

Air power is crucial to American military strategy in Iraq — roads have become too dangerous to travel along because of roadside bombs that can penetrate even the armour of a US Abrams battle tank.

The shooting down of six helicopters with the loss of 27 lives is an unprecedented success for the Iraqi insurgency, and coincides with the “surge” operation of increased American troops in Baghdad backed up by Iraqi police and army.

The latest security clampdown follows two unsuccessful operations, Operation Together Forward I and Operation Together Forward II, both aimed at retaking Baghdad neighbourhoods. The previous operations failed when American troops pulled out and turned over the areas to Iraqi troops. Insurgents simply hid their weapons and returned when the Americans left.

Yesterday, Iraqi security forces found 50 Russian-made Sam missiles in a weapons cache near Baghdad. The discovery, the largest of its kind since 2003, has confirmed suspicions that insurgents are using more sophisticated munitions.

The Pentagon has confirmed that a CH46 Sea Knight shot down 11 days ago in Al-Anbar province west of Baghdad, the heartland of the Sunni insurgency, was the victim of a Soviet-designed Sam.

...British, American and Iraqi sources said the missile used was a version of the “Strela” series — a Sam designed in Russia and copied by countries as diverse as North Korea and Egypt.

Investigators are focusing on which version of the Strela was used. The Sam 7 (Strela 2) is cheap, available in Iraq on the black market for £500, and easy to use.

One source said yesterday: “I could teach you to use it in one day. You just wait for the green light and the growling noise, and pull the trigger.”

The Sea Knight is more likely to have been shot down by the advanced Strela 3, or Sam 14, that locks on to the target more efficiently, but in Iraq they would cost up to £25,000 and would be used only by specially trained insurgents.

The Pentagon is concerned that the insurgents may also have access to the next-generation missile, the Igla, which can cost hundreds of thousands of pounds and is
highly accurate.

...Most of the Shi’ite attacks are sectarian, on their Sunni enemies, while all the attacks on American helicopters have come from Sunni areas. The missile technology is believed to have fallen into the hands of former Saddam supporters or their Al-Qaeda allies.

On Sunni websites the insurgents have issued communiqués from the “air defence unit of the Islamic State of Iraq” taking responsibility for shooting down the American helicopters.


Sources:

1) Planning Seen In Iraqi Attacks On U.S. Copters:

By MICHAEL R. GORDON and DAVID S. CLOUD
Published: February 18, 2007
nytimes


2) US Shock At Iraq Helicopter Toll:

The Sunday Times
By Marie Colvin
Published: February 18, 2007
timesonline