 A US military helicopter went down southwest of Baghdad on Saturday and it was unclear if there were casualties, the military said. A militant group said it shot down a helicopter in the same area and residents said they heard gunfire. “A ... helicopter went down southwest of Baghdad at approximately 5:30 pm,” the military said. “The status of the crew is unknown.” A spokesman declined to say how many were on board or the type of helicopter involved. “The aircraft was conducting a combat air patrol,” the statement said. In an Internet posting, a group calling itself the Rashedeen Army said it had shot down a US helicopter near the town of Yusufiya, an area that sees considerable Sunni insurgent activity just southwest of the capital. |