WASHINGTON -- A Navy F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet and an Black Hawk helicopter were shot down over Iraq in separate incidents, according to U.S. officials.
Military officials say Iraq shot down a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet (pictured in file photo) with a surface-to-air missile.
There was no immediate word on the fate of the pilot. A statement from U.S. Central Command said the plane went down Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. Eastern time.
It was the first American airplane shot down during the war on Iraq. The Iraqis on Wednesday shot down an Army helicopter and have downed several pilotless surveillance drones.
Navy and Marine pilots fly the F/A-18 Hornet from aircraft carriers. The supersonic jets are armed with a 20-millimeter cannon and can carry a wide range of bombs and missiles.
News of the downed plane came shortly after officials reported that a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter was shot down south of Baghdad in a separate incident. But there are conflicting reports on the number of casualties.
Pentagon officials said seven soldiers aboard the helicopter were killed and four were wounded and rescued. However, U.S. Central Command headquarters in Qatar released a statement saying six were believed to have been aboard and that "casualties have not been confirmed at this point."
Pentagon officials say the helicopter was downed by small-arms fire near Karbala. The city was the site of fierce fighting between the Army's 3rd Infantry Division and Iraqi troops, including Republican Guard forces.
The Black Hawk was the second U.S. helicopter to go down in combat. An Army Apache assault helicopter went down March 24; its two pilots were captured by Iraqis.
Meanwhile, U.S. ground forces have pushed about 20 miles outside Baghdad, where they will start to form a cordon around the city and press Saddam Hussein's regime to give up, a senior military official said Wednesday.
Marine units are closing in on Baghdad from the southeast with the intention of encircling Iraqi forces and then try to increase the psychological pressure so that Saddam's regime surrenders.
If there is no surrender, top Pentagon officials are warning that the most difficult fights are still ahead.
"We are planning for a very difficult fight ahead in Baghdad," Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal said during a Pentagon briefing. "We are not expecting to drive into Baghdad suddenly and seize it."
Still, Pentagon officials said Iraqi defense are showing signs of breaking.
Two top Republican Guard units -- the Medina and Baghdad divisions --- are "no longer credible forces," said McChrystal, vice director of joint operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Resistance on the push to Baghdad from Saddam's elite units was "sporadic, but not able to stop coalition maneuvers," McChrystal said.
McChrystal said the relative ease of movement can be attributed to the pounding Iraqi forces have taken from coalition war planes and artillery for more than a week.
The Republican Guard, Saddam's most battle-hardened troops, are arrayed for defense on Baghdad's southern side and on the flanks, he said
"Whether they intend to defend in place or just delay is just not clear," he said.
Earlier, a Central Command spokesman said U.S. forces that crossed the Tigris River in the drive to Baghdad have destroyed the Republican Guard's Baghdad Division.
Brooks said U.S. forces seized the strategic town of Kut and routed the Guard division, which had been guarding the highway leading to Baghdad. He said the U.S. Army's 5th Corps has pushed past Karbala and now is less than 20 miles from Baghdad.
But Brooks would not say if U.S. troops will continue to march into the Iraqi capital.
But he said those forces represent a "dagger" that will remain pointed at the Iraqi regime until it collapses.
Brooks said coalition forces have also seized control of a key dam, which officials feared could have threatened civilians and coalition forces on lower ground.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said "the circle is closing." But he has repeatedly warned that Iraq could use chemical or biological weapons as U.S. forces close in on the capital.
Meanwhile, the Army's 3rd Infantry Division launched a heavy attack on towns and enemy positions north of the city of Karbala, where about 2,000 Saddam loyalists are believed to be hunkered down.
The 3rd Infantry and the First Marine Expeditionary Force both reported breakthroughs as some units enter the "red zone" within 50 miles of the Iraqi capital.
Iraqi Fighters Reportedly Firing From Mosque
There's word Iraqi fighters are firing on U.S. forces from a mosque in the city of Najaf.
Brooks said American forces are being fired on from the Ali Mosque, an important Muslim holy site. American soldiers are holding back on returning fire in an attempt to avoid damaging religious sites.
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