Four of the five Americans killed when a U.S. security company's helicopter crashed in a dangerous Sunni neighborhood in central Baghdad were shot execution style in the back the head, Iraqi and U.S. officials said Wednesday... A senior Iraqi military official said a machine gunner downed the helicopter, but a U.S. military official in Washington said there were no indications that the aircraft, owned by Blackwater USA, had been shot out of the sky. Two Sunni Insurgent Groups, separately, claimed responsibility for the crash...
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Below is a Press Statement by:
U.S. Department of State
Sean McCormack, Spokesman
Washington, DC
Released on January 24, 2007
Deaths of U.S. Department of State Contractors in Iraq
The Department of State is deeply saddened by the deaths of five employees of Blackwater Security Consulting during attacks on security details in Baghdad on January 23.
These men assisted the Bureau of Diplomatic Security in protecting American diplomats and missions in Iraq. They played an important role in helping our effort to bring a better way of life to the people of Iraq. We honor their courage, commitment, and sacrifice.
Our thoughts and prayers are with their families.
2007/049
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