Iraqi and U.S. forces have killed an estimated 250 to 300 gunmen in Najaf

[Re-Con]

NAJAF, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi and U.S. forces have killed an estimated 250 to 300 gunmen in the Shiite holy city of Najaf during heavy fighting on Sunday, an Iraqi interior ministry official told CNN.

Those killed were part of a contingent of about 600 gunmen, stationed outside the city, who planned to attack Najaf, take control of the province, and kill Shia clerics including Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the official said.

A U.S. helicopter went down north of Najaf and two soldiers were killed, the U.S. military confirms. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, the military said.

Gunmen in Najaf fired a missile at a U.S. helicopter, downing it near the city, Iraqi officials said.

Fighting in the city 100 miles south of Baghdad is still under way. (Watch battle raging, smoke rising reportedly from helicopter crash )

The helicopter incident comes just more than a week after a Black Hawk helicopter -- believed to have been downed by a shoulder-fired missile -- crashed in Iraq's Diyala province last Saturday, killing 12 U.S. soldiers on board. (Full story)

A helicopter belonging to the U.S. security firm Blackwater also went down in Iraq on Tuesday, after coming under heavy fire.

Video of the scene in Najaf showed U.S. military helicopters flying overhead amid heavy gunfire on the ground.

Armed Iraqi forces lay on the side of a hill, firing at targets as large plumes of smoke rose into the sky.

Iraqi police Col. Ali Jraiwi said the Iraqi forces were targeting a large number of Sunni insurgents who were planning to attack high-ranking Shiite clerics in Najaf.

Police and witnesses said the chopper was shot down over Zarqa, a town about six miles (10 kilometers) north of Najaf, Jraiwi said.

At least three Iraqi security forces were killed in Sunday's fighting, and 15 others were wounded, Jraiwi said.

Speaking on Iraqi TV, Najaf's governor said the insurgents targeted in Sunday's raid were planning attacks on Shiite Muslims heading from Najaf to Karbala for the annual holy period of Ashura.

Ashura commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Mohammed's grandson. It culminates on Tuesday, which marks the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic year. (Gallery)

Ashura observances were banned during the Saddam Hussein regime, when the Sunni Arab-dominated government kept a tight leash on the Shiite population. They resumed after Hussein was toppled in 2003.

Since then, the period has been marred by sectarian attacks, the bloodiest in 2004 when more than 180 died in explosions targeting Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad and Karbala.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/...ain/index.html

[ArmedDrunk&Angry]

300 KIA
That might put a damper on their recruiting efforts.

[Cravixon]

SA 7 pwned.

[O.D.A. SNAKE-EATER]

Originally Posted by Cravixon

SA 7 pwned.

F**K YOU!!! You think it's funny that one of our choppers was shot down? I'm over here dealing with this shit everyday and you sit behind your computer thinking its a fucking game

[[R-MOD]Mongolian_dude]

Hey, if your going to post a/ in a thread like this, you've got to be prepaired to take the consequences for Slander and lack of consideration.

Remember C&C (coutesy and consideration)

...mongol...

[[R-DEV]bosco]

Good to see that the training for the new Iraqi Army pays off.

[Wipeout]

that's a k/d ratio for the US military / coalition (iraqi included) of like 150:1.. Wow.. I think they fucked up the part about the Blackhawk, or atleast I didn't hear about it, the only helicopter I heard about getting shot down last week was a Blackwater helo.. Which the news community considers "U.S.", which is considered by the common person as U.S. military..