 "Photo: AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus")
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military tried to determine Sunday whether insurgent gunfire caused the crash of two Black Hawk helicopters, killing 17 soldiers in the worst single loss of American life since the war in Iraq began.
The investigation comes as an audio tape purportedly by Saddam Hussein urged Iraqis to escalate attacks against the occupation and ''agents brought by foreign armies'' - Iraqis who support the coalition.
The speaker on the tape, aired on Al-Arabiya television, said the only way to end the chaos in Iraq was for Saddam and his now outlawed Baath Party to return to power.
U.S. soldiers, meanwhile, took the offensive with the military mounting operations in Baghdad and Saddam's home region of central Iraq. The military fired a satellite-guided missile with a 500-pound warhead at a suspected guerrilla training base. Four insurgents were killed in a separate clash.
Strong explosions thundered through central Baghdad after sundown Sunday, apparently part of ''Operation Iron Hammer,'' a new ''get tough'' strategy of going after insurgents before they can strike.
Late Sunday, a large number of U.S. troops, backed by armored vehicles and helicopters, moved into the Sunni Muslim neighborhood of Azamiyah, sealing off a 20-block area and searching vehicles in a show of force.
The CIA said it would review the purported Saddam tape for its authenticity, but President Bush dismissed the recording.
''I suspect it's same old stuff. It's propaganda. We're not leaving until the job is done, pure and simple,'' Bush said. ''I'm sure he'd like to see us leave, if in fact it's his voice. I know the elements of the Baathist party, those who used to torture, maim and kill in order to stay in power, would like to see us leave.''
The speaker in the recording lashed out at Iraqis who cooperate with the U.S. military, calling them ''stray dogs that walk alongside the caravan.'' Iraqis who work with the United States have been targeted by Iraqi guerrillas.
In northern Iraq, the U.S. military was investigating whether insurgent ground fire caused the crash of two U.S. helicopters belonging to the 101st Airborne Division. The helicopters went down in residential neighborhoods of Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city. There were no civilian casualties.
''There are reports that there may have been ground fire, and one of them may have been trying to avoid that. We just don't know at this point,'' Bremer said on ''Fox News Sunday.''
Witnesses said the two aircraft collided, and some said at least one was struck by hostile fire. Military spokesman Col. William M. Darley said the cause of the crash ''will be under intense investigation today'' and dismissed groundfire reports as speculation.
All the victims were from the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Ky., a military spokesman said. Division spokes-man Maj. Trey Cate said one helicopter, carrying a quick response team, was on its way to investigate a shooting incident in which a U.S. soldier was injured. The other helicopter was on a transport mission.
The Saturday crash raised the number of Americans who have died in Iraq since the invasion to 417, including combat and non-combat deaths.
With casualties mounting, the Bush administration has agreed to speed the transfer of power to the Iraqis, establishing a provisional government by June. That would formally end the American occupation.
However, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld cautioned Sunday that the accelerated plan does not mean U.S. troops will withdraw soon. The issue of troops is ''on a separate track'' from the political timetable, he said.
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