Iraq flights under review

The number killed in the missile attack on a US army Chinook rose to 16 today as commanders in Iraq began an urgent safety review of the use of helicopters in known danger zones.

With America grieving its biggest loss of troops in a single attack since the fall of Saddam, officials are examining why the Chinook was flying within range of ground-to-air missiles near the notorious "hotspot" town of Fallujah.

The US military in Baghdad put the casualty count at 15 dead and 21 wounded, but a senior military official in Washington said later that one of the injured had died.

The downing of the helicopter, carrying soldiers bound for temporary leave in the US, has revived grim memories in the US of the infamous "Black Hawk Down" incident in Somalia in 1993 in which 18 US troops were killed by a rocket-propelled grenade.

Fears are growing that yesterday's attack could act as a similar turning point. The US government was forced on to the offensive last night.

Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in Washington: "In a long, hard war, we're going to have tragic days. But they're necessary. They're part of a war that's difficult and complicated."

The helicopter was one of two Chinooks ferrying more than 50 troops to Baghdad airport when its rear rotor blade was hit by the missile. The aircraft crashed and exploded in a field.

It was the worst episode so far in a spell of escalating violence against US forces, which have had 31 killed in the last 10 days. With the Coalition reliant on helicopters for the speedy transport of troops and supplies, commanders are unlikely to be able to stop using them. Chinooks are not equipped with anti-missile devices but until now, tactics such as evasive flying have largely proved effective.

The latest attack, however, will increase fears that guerillas in Iraq are now perfecting techniques of bringing helicopters down, possibly with the help of Al Qaeda fighters. Only last week another US army helicopter was downed near Tikrit, although only one soldier was injured.

Saddam's army is thought to have left thousands of surface-to-air missiles in dumps across the country, and a US amnesty during the summer, where $500 was paid for their return, is thought to have had little impact.

The more immediate challenge for President Bush's mission in Iraq, however, will be whether the US public still has the stomach for the fight.

The rising death toll among US personnel is overshadowing any of the positive achievements the US mission has made, such as the falling crime rate in Baghdad and improving amenities.