The Wall Street Journal
Associated Press
Dec. 13, 2014 8:39 a.m. ET
BAGHDAD—Islamic
State group militants shot down an Iraqi military helicopter, officials
said Saturday, killing the two pilots on board and raising fresh
concerns about the extremists’ ability to attack aircraft amid ongoing
U.S.-led coalition airstrikes.
The attack happened late Friday in
the Shiite holy city of Samarra, about 60 miles north of Baghdad. A
senior Defense Ministry official said the Sunni militants used a
shoulder-fired rocket launcher to shoot down the EC635 helicopter on the
outskirts of the city.
An army official corroborated the
information. Both spoke on condition of anonymity as they weren’t
authorized to speak to journalists.
The EC635, built by Airbus Helicopters, is used for transportation, surveillance and combat.
The
militants shot down at least two other Iraqi military helicopters near
the city of Beiji in October. Some fear the militants may have captured
ground-to-air missiles capable of shooting down airplanes when they
overran Iraqi and Syrian army bases this summer.
European
airlines including Virgin Atlantic, KLM and Air France, U.S. carrier
Delta Air Lines and Dubai-based Emirates changed their commercial flight
plans over the summer to avoid Iraqi airspace.
The Islamic State group holds about a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria in its self-styled caliphate.
Source: http://www.wsj.com
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