DUBAI - The Iraqi branch of terror network Al-Qaeda said Monday it shot down a US helicopter that crashed in Iraq at the weekend killing 12 US troops.
In a statement posted on the Internet, Al-Qaeda in Iraq said its "air defence units" had carried out an ambush at Bhraz in Diyala province around 3:00 pm (1200 GMT) Saturday.
"The lions of the Islamic State in Iraq succeeded in hitting a Black Hawk helicopter," said the statement, which could not immediately be verified.
A senior US defence official said in Washington earlier Monday the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter may have been shot down with a shoulder-fired missile.
Pentagon spokesmen said a preliminary investigation was still underway and had not yet determined what caused the helicopter to crash on Saturday northeast of Baghdad, killing all those on board.
01/22/2007 19:24 GMT