IRAQ: The Iraqi could scarcely contain his jubilation, breaking out into an impromptu dance along with the other villagers.
A hundred and fifty metres behind them, surrounded by fields and palm trees, lay the twisted and blackened debris of the Chinook helicopter. Body parts and military equipment lay scattered around.
The 15 men in the downed helicopter had been on their way out of the country to a rest and recreation centre. The dancing Iraqi held up a dead soldier's multi-coloured shorts, a grim souvenir of the struggle against US forces in the country.
The nearby village of Al-Hasay, a collection of mud and concrete huts in a rural backwater six miles south of Falluja, was deserted as the residents milled around the crash site.
"Tonight we will have a double feast," shouted Mohammed Saleh to the throng of celebrating people "The first feast will be when we will break our fast for Ramadan. The second will be in praise of those who struck down our American enemies," he said.
"This is war," shouted another.
Overhead four Apache attack helicopters flew but that didn't deter the revellers at the scene since 9 a.m. when the Chinook plummeted to earth in a shower of smoke and sparks after being struck by a heat-seeking missile.
Most of the village had been out tending their fields as two Chinook helicopters left nearby Habbaniya airbase on a routine flight ferrying soldiers to Baghdad airport 20 minutes away.
Mohammed Saleh said: "They're always flying around here, very low and fast. I wasn't paying much attention until I heard a terrifying explosion."
Villagers saw a flash of light from a palm grove several hundred metres away as the missiles were fired. The impact of the blast buckled the helicopter and it fell sideways towards the earth. A second missile narrowly missed the other helicopter.
Jassim Khalaf Ahmadi, whose farm is short distance away from the crash site, said: "It was like watching a large bird suddenly stop flying and drop out of the sky. I couldn't believe what I saw. I ran over. There were bodies everywhere and people screaming."
The second helicopter briefly circled the burning wreckage, before landing nearby to deploy its troops.
"They were very, very angry, shouting and waving their guns," said Ahmadi, "I ran away and hid." Helicopters from the Habbaniya airbase rushed to the downed chopper to airlift the wounded. A security cordon was placed around the site, and an effort made to disperse the cheering Iraqis.
Little effort was made on either the Iraqi or the American side to disguise mutual hostility.
"Here come the bastards," shouted Saleh as a company of US soldiers approached. They in turn shouted "hyenas". Neither side understood the words but the meaning was clear enough.
"They are very bad people here," said Capt Scott Kirkpatrick. "The guy who shot the rockets is probably standing in the crowd over there."
Another soldier grimly predicted a night of attacks in an area that is a hotbed of tribal resistance to the US-led occupation.
The nearby town of Falluja is the scene of daily attacks on US forces, which have left a dozen American dead and scores of Iraqis.
The villagers of Al-Hasay were quick to deny any involvement in yesterday's attack, but proudly declared their commitment to fighting the Americans - who they blame for indiscriminate killings in the community and the arrest of village leaders.
"We are cheering because every American soldier we kill brings us one step closer to getting them out of the country for good," said another resident.
Abdul Mahmud, a taxi-driver said: "We want Bush to see his mercenaries lying dead on the ground. We want him to know that this month we are going to arm even the women."
They were sentiments echoed in Falluja where the ending of another day of Ramadan - the Muslim holy month that has seen a dramatic increase in violence - brought the faithful to prayer.
Anger was running high after a jeep driven by US soldiers was ambushed earlier in the day, with two Iraqis killed in the ensuing gun battle.
"Is this why the Americans have come to Iraq?" said Khalid Hussein, a family member of one of the dead. "If I had a missile I'd take it out now and shoot it at the first helicopter I saw. I pray a helicopter crashes every day."
There was in contrast only mild anger from soldiers belonging to the 82nd airborne division, at military base on the outskirts of Falluja.
Several of the men on board the two Chinook helicopters were from the base.
Staff Sgt Daryl Peterson (28) said: "It sucks to hear that so many soldiers have been killed. But I didn't know any of them and I'm just glad it wasn't me."
Specialist Jo Oswald (20) said: "It's made me pretty angry . . . but you get used hearing about dead people."