UPDATE: Violent day in Iraq; Most violent four month stretch since war began

Earlier today I wrote that the fifth U.S. helicopter had been shot down in Iraq since January 20, and tonight CBS confirmed that all seven members aboard were United States Marines, and witness' claimed the copter was hit by a surface to air missile.

A claim of responsibility for downing the helicopter was issued in an Internet statement signed by the Islamic State in Iraq, an umbrella group of several Sunni insurgent groups, including al Qaeda in Iraq. The authenticity of the statement — posted on a Web forum where the group often issues statements — could not be independently confirmed.

"The helicopter was flying and passed over us, then we heard the firing of a missile," said Mohammad al-Janabi, a farmer who was speaking less than half a mile from the wreckage. "The helicopter then turned into a ball of fire. It flew in a circle twice, then it went down."

CBS is also reporting that Iraqi police found "bullet-riddled" bodies of 33 people, 19 of which were found in Baghdad, who were apparent victims of "sectarian death squads."

Additionally, in the past four months, at least 334 U.S. troops were killed making it the most violent four month stretch since the war began. All of this coming on a day when a security "crackdown" was supposed to be getting underway in Iraq. I guess this is what George Bush means by "progress."