Two American pilots killed in plane crash in Iraq

In a statement, the American army announced that the helicopter which crashed on Saturday southeast of Baghdad during a military operation was downed by "enemy fire" and its two pilots were killed.

A group calling itself Maaz Bin Jabal (translates to contingent of al-Rashedin army) claimed responsibility for the attack in a registered voice on the Internet.

Before that the American army announced the killing of four of its soldiers during the two past days, two of them were killed in a bomb explosion in Baghdad and the two others died because of earlier wounds they had in al-Anbar and in Karkouk.

For its part, Iraqi security forces announced the killing of ten persons in new attacks including six in an explosion inside one house south of Baghdad. The police also found 6 unidentified bodies.

In another development, the Iraqi government announced in a statement arresting 27 gunmen including an assistant for the Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and "an Arab" in Baghdad and Ninwa, and that two of them were killed.