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| Iraq-Jordan |
| al Jizz: Video Seems to Show British Plane Hit in Iraq |
| 2005-01-31 |
| EFL Aljazeera has aired a video showing a purported Iraqi group firing missiles at the British C-130 transport plane which crashed on Sunday afternoon northwest of Baghdad. The video, issued by the military wing of the 1920 Revolution Brigades, also showed an explosion at a distance and what appeared to be the debris of a plane on the ground. Aljazeera said on Monday it had received a copy of the tape from the group. Earlier, Ansar al-Islam, an al-Qaida-linked group, posted a statement on a website claiming it downed the Hercule aircraft. The authenticity of the Ansar al-Islam website could not be verified. British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said in a statement: "We are aware of reports that the aircraft may have been shot down, but we are not in a position to come to any conclusions until the investigation is complete." The ministry also declined to comment on reports in The Daily Telegraph and Daily Mirror newspapers that members of Britain’s elite Special Air Service (SAS) were aboard the flight. Air Vice-Marshall Tony Mason, a military expert, said the crash, which occurred during a spate of attacks aimed at sabotaging the first democratic elections in Iraq for 50 years, could have been caused by hostile action. "On the face of it we have a fully serviceable aircraft, we have an extremely competent crew, we have the potential indicator that the first statement said the crash site covered a wide area, which suggests impact in the air rather than the ground," Mason said. Meanwhile Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has criticised the US for failing to halt what he called Kurdish efforts to dominate the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq. |
| Posted by:Mrs. Davis |
| #4 The video appears to be several different pieces cobbled together badly. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2005-01-31 8:32:25 PM |
| #3 Mrs D - Parts were broadcast on ITN. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2005-01-31 8:23:46 PM |
| #2 BD, Was the video broadcast or did you see it on the net? |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-01-31 8:13:41 PM |
| #1 Official comments don't support the idea that any significant number of SF personnel were on board, though I wouldn't bet the house on MoD press releases. The AII video seems to be a spool of shite. Patched footage from various incidents. From the one glimpse I've had of the video the wreckage seems to be that of a jet - there definitely seems to be a jet engine on the ground, though I could be mistaken, and there's the possibility that the Herc was transporting an aircraft engine. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2005-01-31 7:49:54 PM |