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The craft may have been brought down by a U.S. Patriot Missile
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LONDON,
March 23 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Making the fourth in
a row, a British Royal Air Force aircraft is missing in Iraq and might
have been brought down by a U.S.-operated Patriot missile battery, the
defense ministry said early Sunday, March 23.
"I
can confirm that a plane went missing on the way back from an
operational mission and we have evidence to suspect it might have been
engaged by a U.S.-operated patriot missile battery near the Kuwaiti
border," a ministry of British defense spokesman said, Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
The
spokesman said that it was not yet possible to say what sort of plane
was involved or how many crew it contained as no families had been
contacted.
He
also declined to say what mission the aircraft had been carrying out
when it went missing.
According
to the BBC's online news service, Group Captain Al Lockwood, chief
spokesman for the British forces, said the aircraft had been returning
from operations when the accident happened.
He
said: "Evidence is beginning to come to light that it was engaged
by a U.S. Patriot missile battery." It appeared that the plane had
been shot down, he said, reported the BBC.
Lockwood
added that an investigation team will be set up to "get to the
bottom" of the incident, the BBC said.
On
Saturday six British servicemen and an American were killed when two
Royal Navy Sea King helicopters collided over the Gulf.
The
two helicopters collided in mid-air Saturday, March 22, over
international waters in the Gulf, a British military spokesman said.
The
incident occurred at around 4:30 am local time (0130 GMT) and involved
two Royal Navy Sea King Airborne Early Warning helicopters, Agence
France Presse (AFP) quoted the spokesman as saying.
That
incident followed another helicopter crash in Kuwait the day before,
Friday, March 23, in which eight British Royal Marines and four U.S.
airmen were killed.
The
U.S. Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter came down during
deployment operations to the Fao peninsula in southern Iraq.
