Third US Army helicopter downed in two days

A US ARMY Apache attack helicopter was shot down yesterday, the third downed in less than two weeks and witnesses said American troops killed four civilians in two incidents, after coming under attack.

Ukrainian troops opened fire to disperse a crowd of several hundred protesters demanding jobs in the southeastern city of Kut. One man was killed and two others were wounded.

The American AH-64 helicopter gunship was shot down near the town of Habbaniyah, in the west, near where a medivac helicopter was downed on Tuesday, killing all nine soldiers on board. A Kiowa Warrior helicopter was shot down in the area on January 2, killing the pilot.