Iraqi group claims downing US helicopter

An Iraqi insurgent group claimed on Saturday to have downed a US helicopter south of Baghdad, according to an Internet statement.

An Iraqi insurgent group claimed on Saturday to have downed a US helicopter south of Baghdad, according to an Internet statement.

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"The lions of Islam in the Maath bin Jabal brigade of Al-Rashideen Army managed to down a helicopter of the US occupation forces in the Yussifiyah area south of Baghdad," said the statement, whose authenticity could not be confirmed.

The US military said earlier that a US helicopter crashed southwest of Baghdad while conducting a combat air patrol. The fate of the crew was not known.

In a statement posted on the Internet last Sunday, the Al-Rashideen Army recommended US President George W Bush to take a vacation at his ranch in Texas and reflect on how he is "losing the war" in Iraq.