Iraq militants show downed US 'copter in video-TV

DUBAI, Apr 3 (Reuters) Iraqi militants who claimed the downing of a US helicopter issued a video apparently showing parts of the wreckage, Al Jazeera television said today.

It aired the footage from the Rashedeen Army which appeared to show part of the helicopter's fuselage and rotor lying in a field. The video also showed helicopters circling the site.

Al Jazeera said it could not authenticate the video.

The US military said today that two of its pilots died after their helicopter crashed in southwest of Baghdad on Saturday. The Rashedeen Army had claimed the shooting near the town of Yusufiya, an area that sees considerable Sunni insurgent activity just southwest of the capital.

Insurgents have shot down several military helicopters since the US-led invasion in 2003 and losses of heavy troop carriers have accounted for some of the largest casualty figures.

REUTERS TM BS2332