Video Shows Downing of U.S. Apache Helicopter in Iraq

On February 4, 2007, Islamist websites posted a 3.5-minute video titled "American Apache Downed in Al-Anbar District Northwest of Baghdad, in the Al-Taji region." The video was produced by Al-Furqan, the media company of the Islamic State of Iraq, and is part of a series called "The Hell of the Byzantines [i.e. Christians] and Apostates in Iraq."

The video opens with a Koranic verse: "Fight them, Allah will punish them by your hands and bring them to disgrace, and assist you against them and heal the hearts of a believing people [Koran 9:14]." This is followed by a caption saying "Sighting and Ambushing the Target." The footage shows two helicopters flying above, and three fighters - shown only for a few seconds - preparing the attack. One seems to be sighting the target, the second buries something in the ground and a third manipulates a weapon that is set on the ground and has been blacked out by the video producers (something not seen in previous films). The camera then follows the target helicopter, while the voice of Osama bin Laden is heard in the background, followed by a jihad song.

The next part of the film is introduced by a caption saying "The Battle with the Helicopters Begins." Intensive gunfire is heard, accompanied by cries of "Allah Akbar," and a rocket is fired. The footage follows the Apache until several seconds before it falls. The video next presents an excerpt from a February 2, 2007 speech by Abu Omar Al-Baghdadi, head of the Islamic State of Iraq, which was posted as an audio recording on Islamist websites on February 3, 2007. The video ends with a caption saying "This helicopter was downed on Friday, Muharram 14, 1428 [February 2, 2007]."

The video can be viewed at http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ClipMediaID=541786&ak=null

Below are images from the video:

Islamic Website Posts Instructions for Destroying U.S. Tanks

On February 5, 2007, an Islamist website posted detailed step-by-step instructions for destroying an Abrams Tank using very unsophisticated weapons. The message begins with the statement: "You can destroy anything if you use the right methods." It then describes several of the tank's vulnerable spots which could be exploited in order to "blind" the tank, slow it down, and then completely destroy it with unsophisticated missiles. The description is accompanied by illustrations which MEMRI has decided to withhold for security reasons.