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Welcome to AJC!: "An Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed Friday _ apparently shot down by insurgents--killing all six U.S. soldiers aboard and capping the bloodiest seven days in Iraq for Americans since the fall of Baghdad.

In retaliation, American troops backed by Bradley fighting vehicles swept through Iraqi neighborhoods before dawn Saturday, blasting houses suspected of being insurgent hideouts with machine guns and heavy weapons fire.

``This is to remind the town that we have teeth and claws and we will use them,'' said Lt. Col. Steven Russell, commander of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment."

Somehow, I'm dubious that "blasting houses suspected of being insurgent hideouts with machine guns and heavy weapons fire" is in the instruction manual for "how to win the hearts and minds of an occupied population" nor, I suspect, is it highly recommended in the Geneva Conventions. What's next, knocking down the houses of "suspected insurgents" and dumping their families in the streets? That's worked so well for the Israelis, after all....