American Killed in Attack on Australia Plane in Iraq

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040628/wl_nm/iraq_australia_aircraft_dc&cid=574&ncid=1473

CANBERRA (Reuters) - A U.S. contractor was killed in an attack on an Australian military transport aircraft in Iraq (news - web sites), Australia's defense force said Monday.



The small arms fire on the plane after it took off on Sunday afternoon from Baghdad was the first direct hit on an Australian aircraft during the U.S-led coalition's operations in Iraq.


A U.S. Department of Defense (news - web sites) civilian contractor was killed, the defense force said. No Australians were wounded and there was no significant damage to the aircraft.


Australia's conservative prime minister, John Howard, a close U.S. ally who sent 2,000 military personnel to the war last year, said the attack highlighted the dangers present in Iraq.

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[daleo]

1. Is this the second plane hit with small arms fire today?

Or is this the same one as the other story, but with the added information that the victim was a contractor and the plane was Australian.

[KoKo]

2. I know, wondered that also. Did the soldier get shot through the window?

If so how did the plane fly, or was it on the ground. How can you hit a plan filled with troops and not have more injuries.

Are they covering it up because of Bush's trip. One plane or two? Heard one was hit this a.m., could it take that long to identify it, or is this another one and the first one was so bad they don't want to tell us. :crazy: The reports of troop deaths are getting harder to find out
about, since they mix one or two in articles at the end and the articles seem to be repeats or it's hard to tell the timing.