Iraqi state television tonight showed footage of two men it claimed were pilots of a downed US Apache helicopter, and said they were prisoners of war who would be treated in line with international law.
The footage, calculated to strike a further blow at the pride and prestige of US-led forces waging war to drive President Saddam Hussein from power, came after the United States earlier said it had two Apache pilots missing in action.
The television showed four to five minutes of footage but the men were not heard speaking. They drank tea and did not appear to be injured. It also showed credit cards, personal effects and a driver's license from the US state of Texas.
It said they were "prisoners of war" who would be treated in line with the Geneva Conventions.
Residents here had been preparing to settle down in front of the television to watch Saddam's regime deliver another blow to the aura of US invincibility after officials pledged earlier to show pictures of the pilots.
The broadcast came as heavy bombing was heard in central Baghdad as well as areas to the south of the Iraqi capital, where US and British forces are expected to face fierce resistance from Saddam's Republican Guard.
US commanders said two pilots had gone down in clashes with the Guard.