On November 28, 2006, the Islamic State of Iraq released a communiqué, via various Islamist websites, in which it claimed responsibility for the November 27 downing of an American F-16 fighter jet approximately 20 miles northwest of Baghdad. According to the message, the operation, a joint effort of the mujahideen of the Islamic State of Iraq and members of Jaysh Al-Mujahideen, followed recent instructions from Abu 'Omar Al-Baghdadi, the declared leader of the Islamic State in Iraq, to increase attacks on the "Crusaders' combat forces [in Iraq] and especially… their airplanes and helicopters."

According to the message, the attack was carried out at a time when four U.S. Black Hawk helicopters were landing forces in the vicinity of Karma, in the province of Baghdad. In addition to the F-16, the mujahideen claim to have downed one of the Black Hawks.

It should be noted that an Islamist website posted a picture of what appears to be the body of the pilot entangled in a parachute at the crash scene.

Below are images from the crash scene: