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WOLF BLITZER: A dramatic and deadly day in Iraq. At
least six people were killed in Baghdad in a new wave
of bombings and shootings. Three dozen bodies were
also found in the streets of the capital. Another
painful blow for the U.S. military -- a Marine Corps
helicopter went down in the Al-Anbar Province,
killing all seven Americans on board. Insurgents say
they shot it down. The U.S. military, however, isn't
so sure.
Still, is it part of a disturbing new pattern?
CNN's Michael Ware is in Baghdad. But let's go to our
Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, first.
She's got the latest details -- Barbara.
BLITZER: So is this latest helicopter crash part of a
deadly new pattern? Are U.S. forces now fighting a
new war, not only on the ground, but also in the air?
Joining us now from Baghdad, our correspondent,
Michael Ware. Michael, we've all known for years now
how dangerous it is for U.S. military and civilian
personnel to drive around Iraq with the improvised
explosive devices and the gunfire.
But in the last few weeks, we've seen how dangerous
it is to fly around Iraq, as well. And the
ramifications are enormous.
Talk a little bit about that.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, since
the invasion back in 2003, more than 50 helicopters
have come down from Iraq's skies, as many as half of
them from hostile fire. Indeed, we saw during the
invasion itself an Apache strike on one of the
southern cities, a stronghold of the Republican
Guard, was beaten back.
So this airborne warfare has been a factor from the
beginning.
Now, what we've been seeing is the insurgents
learning how to mask their fires so that these
helicopters are flying into walls of lead. We are
also hearing lots of reports about missiles coming
in. We don't know exactly what the cause is so far.
Five choppers down in two and-a-half weeks. It's
still too early to call it a pattern or a new
phenomenon, though it certainly raises questions,
particularly given the military says four of those
five came down as a result of hostile fire.
BLITZER: It's got to make it more difficult -- I
assume they're -- the insurgents, the terrorists, the
enemy in this particular case, whoever they may be,
are improving their capabilities in dealing with
these choppers and other U.S. aircraft.
WARE: Absolutely. As they are in almost all areas of
the warfare at play here. I mean, everyone from
President Bush himself to American commanders in the
field have repeatedly called this a thinking,
adaptive enemy.
Every time the Americans introduce a new tactic, the
insurgents adjust.
One of the interesting things about these helicopter
strikes is that at least two of the recent five --
and perhaps we'll find out more -- have been claimed
by al Qaeda. The Islamic State of Iraq claiming it's
now set up air defense battalions.
That, in fact, may be a propaganda stretch, but maybe
we're seeing al Qaeda honing a new technique that is,
hopefully, to them, going to be able to make an
impact on the American operations in the sky.
BLITZER: We know back in the '80s, the Mujahedeen, as
they were called, the guerrillas fighting the Soviets
in Afghanistan, used those Stinger, those
shoulder-fired missiles, very successfully against
Soviet helicopters, Soviet aircraft. They lost
hundreds of them and in the end they pulled out.
Is it a stretch to see a pattern developing that
they're trying now to use some of those Mujahedeen
techniques in Iraq?
WARE: Well, Wolf, I think it is far too early to say
yet. But, I mean, what was clear during that Afghan
conflict, the -- you know, the Arab and Afghan
Mujahedeen holy warriors -- precisely what these
insurgents call themselves -- Mujahedeen. The impact
that striking at these helicopters that were, until
then, were relatively immune, had on the Soviet
effort.
Now, should the insurgents find a way to try and do
that to the American forces here, I'm positive that's
something they would put a lot of energy into,
particularly given the fact that in so many ways, the
coalition, the U.S. Army, does not own the roads here
in Iraq, certainly not to the degree to which they'd
like. And that's why there's so much reliance on air
travel and the movement of people and material by
air.
BLITZER: And so many of those shoulder-fired missiles
were provided by the CIA through Saudi Arabia and
other sources to the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan, as a
lot of us will recall.
Michael, thanks very much for joining us.
WARE: Thank you, Wolf.