US military kills 50 gunmen; American helicopter downed

The US forces in Iraq said it killed more than 50 gunmen during a recent military operation which lasted for 6 days and ended on Thursday in al-Anbar governorate, west Iraq.

The American army had earlier announced the killing of at least 29 gunmen in the area during the past 26 hours making the total number of killed people during the operation 50.

Meantime, Jaysh al-Mujahideen ( strugle army) group in Iraq said a video recording that it downed one pilotless American plane. The tape showed several gunmen showing parts of the plane which they said they had shot down in Ramadi, west Baghdad.

Meanwhile, a second campaign against gunmen in the Euphrates river valley, a main crossroad from Syria to Baghdad, continued on Friday. Gunmen said that clashes continued for the fourth running day around Haditha town where the American troops said they found mortars bombs inside one mosque ready for use.