Iraq claims third SA life

[dArKeR]

Erika Gibson

Pretoria - A third South African security official in Iraq, who fought for his life in a Baghdad hospital for five days, died on Monday morning.

Henry "Vis" Visagie, 28, of Roodepoort was shot in the head twice last Wednesday when a convoy was attacked outside Fallujah.

Visagie, who had been working for Erinys Iraq since January, was in the convoy from Amman in Jordan to Baghdad. It had picked up employees returning from holiday.

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_1511848,00.html

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

1. It Just Gets Worse By The Minute

Al Jazeera is now reporting the downing of an MH-53 heavy-lift helicopter, the second chopper downed in the last couple of days. This apparently, is much more expensive and larger than an Apache. I believe that it is the largest and most expensive helicopter in the world, capable of carrying 55 passengers and a jeep. If this is a true story, then, depending on how many soldiers were on the helicopter, this could be a major story.

[dArKeR]

2. Al Jazeera what? TV, Enlgish web, Arabic web? I don't see it on English

web. Thanks!

MH-53 heavy-lift helicopter

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

5. Here

If you scroll down to the middle of this story. The story says the chopper can carry up to 55 personnel and that there is no casualty report yet.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/F8388B06-6A1B-43AB-8DF1-529ADBEA24DA.htm

[daleo]

3. Perhaps South Africa can attack a city now

Granted, they only have the right to attack and destroy a city 3/4 the size of Fallujah.

[Judi Lynn]

4. I think the helicopter you mentioned is in this new article

Google News has only had it for 35 minutes:

By: DENIS D. GRAY, AP Writer
Submitted: 4/14/2004


.....Tuesday's helicopter crash happened when the Sikorsky H-53 was hit by ground fire and forced to land, wounding the three soldiers, said Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy chief of U.S. military operations in Iraq. An insurgent said he hit the chopper with a rocket-propelled grenade.

The team that extracted the crew and secured the craft later came under mortar fire and as it withdrew was ambushed by gunmen using small weapons and rocket-propelled grenades. Another team went in afterward and blew up the craft to prevent it from being looted, Marine Lt. Col. Brennan Byrne said.

A Marine was killed by mortar fire, Kimmitt said. Marine spokesman 1st. Lt. Eric Knapp said seven Marines were wounded in the area.

Before the crash, a U.S. convoy was attacked near the same site, and two Humvees and a truck were burning, said witnesses, who also reported U.S. casualties.
(snip/...)

http://maysville-online.thimblemedia.com/article.asp?catid=25&articleid=5104