Mortar Rounds Destroy Helicopters at US Base

Reuters Photo: A U.S. soldier fixes a helicopter at the military base in Taji May 17, 2007....

By HAMID AHMED, Associated Press Writer
Thu May 17, 10:00 AM ET
BAGHDAD - Mortar rounds hit a U.S. Air Force base north of Baghdad on Thursday, destroying one helicopter and damaging nine others, police said.
The attack at Taji, a major Air Force on the northern outskirts of Baghdad, occurred about 2 a.m., the police said.
"There was an indirect fire attack on the base at Taji which resulted in damage to some aircraft," the military said. Indirect fire is a term the military generally uses to describe rocket or mortar attacks.
The attack destroyed one helicopter and damaged nine others, the police said.
An Iraqi civilian who works at the base said he saw about 16 damaged helicopters, some of them set on fire by the attack. The worker spoke on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Many U.S. Black Hawk helicopters are based at Taji, including some equipped with medical equipment and manned by medics to rescue wounded U.S. and Iraqi soldiers in the Baghdad area.
Sunni insurgents have long been active in the area around Taji.
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