Insurgents post video of 'helicopter attack' on web

An al Qaida-linked insurgent group posted a web video today showing what it said was the downing of a US military helicopter earlier this week. Seven Americans were killed in the crash.

The US military has said it did not believe the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter was shot down in the crash north west of Baghdad.

The two-minute video – which says it shows the “downing of US aircraft on February 7” – shows a helicopter that appears to be a Sea Knight.

An object trailing smoke is seen in the sky nearby, and then the craft bursts into orange and red flames, with a spray of debris emerging from it.

It is not clear whether the object is a rocket, and it cannot be clearly seen connecting with the craft.

In the footage, the helicopter heads downward, but appears to be at least partially in control, though smoke and bright flames are trailing from it.

The helicopter then disappears behind a line of trees as it hits the ground.

The video was issued by the Islamic State in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iraqi insurgent groups that includes al-Qaida in Iraq.