WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Sunday offered sympathies to those killed in the latest deadly helicopter attack in Iraq but praised U.S. efforts there.
Rumsfeld appeared on Fox's "Fox News Sunday with Tony Snow" hours after reports that a U.S. military Chinook helicopter was shot down near Fallujah, west of Baghdad.
Reports say as many as 15 soldiers died and at least 21 were injured in the attack.
Rumsfeld offered his prayers and sympathies to the families of those killed and injured.
The secretary said that in a war situation, "there are going to be days like that and it is necessary that we recognize that."
He said the motive for the attack is easy to determine.
"There are criminals in that country who will do things for money. There are foreign terrorists in that country, like the Ansar al-Islam, who have come back in from Iran and are trying to kill people," Rumsfeld said.
"And there are the remnants of the Baathist regime. And they want to take that country back, and they're not going to. They're not going to come close to taking that country back."
The secretary said that while the attacks were increasing, it was also true that the 23 million people of Iraq have been liberated "and the overwhelming majority are very much in support of the coalition."
Rumsfeld said that areas in central Iraq and north of Baghdad are hotbeds of opposition but the areas farther north and south are not.
