US helicopter opens fire in Iraq (kills three Iraqi police)

[ProSense]

US helicopter opens fire in Iraq

By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer
Thu Nov 1, 12:35 AM ET

BAGHDAD - U.S. helicopters opened fire after a ground patrol came under attack southeast of Baghdad on Wednesday, and Iraqi police said three officers were killed and one wounded in the strike.

The fighting occurred near Salman Pak, a predominantly Sunni area that has been the subject of a U.S. military campaign aimed at routing insurgents from rural strongholds and disrupting the flow of weapons to the capital.

Ground forces called for air support after coming under small-arms fire near the city, some 15 miles southeast of Baghdad, a U.S. military official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information hasn't been formally released.

A U.S.-Iraqi joint security station in the area had come under fire three times earlier in the day, the official said.

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[TwilightGardener]

1. Is there any single group in Iraq more hapless and unlucky than Iraqi police?