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Helicopter Shot Down in Iraq, 15 U.S. Soldiers Dead

Fifteen American soldiers are dead and 21 wounded after a Chinook helicopter is apparently attacked near Fallujah, Iraq. It is the deadliest single strike against U.S. forces since the war began. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports from the scene of the crash, and NPR's Eric Westervelt reports from the Pentagon on how weapons such as shoulder-fired rockets are easy to come by.

Copyright 2003 NPR

Eric Westervelt is a San Francisco-based correspondent for NPR's National Desk. He has reported on major events for the network from wars and revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa to historic wildfires and terrorist attacks in the U.S.
Peter Kenyon is NPR's international correspondent based in Istanbul, Turkey.