U.S. Bombing Watch

U.S. Bombing Watch: Archive of U.S. Bombings, Invasions and Occupations of Iraq (Methodology History of U.S. Bombing Watch)

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Background on "No-Fly-Zone" Bombings of Iraq

3/3/03: 'Undeclared War' Against Iraq Enters New Phase -- Nicholas Watt, Richard Norton-Taylor, and Suzanne Goldenberg, The Gurdian

2/23/03: US and Britain Pound Iraqi Defenses in Massive Escalation of Airstrikes -- Raymond Whitaker, The Independent

12/23/02: The Secret War: Iraq War already under way -- John Pilger, The Mirror

12/22/02: Casualties of an 'Undeclared War': Civilians Killed and Injured as U.S. Airstrikes Escalate in Southern Iraq -- Peter Baker, Washington Post

12/10/02: No-Fly Zones Over Iraq: Washington's Undeclared War on "Saddam's Victims" -- Jeremy Scahill, www.IraqJournal.org

12/4/02: Britain and US step up bombing in Iraq -- Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian

February, 2001: Legality of the No-Fly Zones (PDF File)-- Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies

WASHINGTON - American and British warplanes flying multiple missions attacked Iraq air defense facilities after an Iraqi fighter jet penetrated the southern no-fly zone, the U.S. military said Tuesday.

By the Pentagon's count, the bombing Monday brought to 78 the number of days this year that strikes were launched by the U.S-U.K. coalition that for a decade has been patrolling two zones set up to limit operations of President Saddam Hussein's military.

Hostilities in the zones have ebbed and flowed over the years, and the 2002 year-end total of 78 coalition strikes is much higher than the 43 of 2001, but nearly matches the 80 of 2000.

Pentagon officials said the annual numbers give a general idea of activity in the zones, but cautioned that comparisons can be misleading partly because the military has changed the way it counts Iraqi firings, incursions and other hostilities over the years.

The warplanes in Monday's attack used precision bombs, and a damage assessment was under way, said a statement from the command.

The coalition aircraft targeted the sites after Iraqi forces flew a MIG-25 some 110 nautical miles into the southern zone.

At 2:30 p.m. EST Monday, coalition aircraft struck cable repeaters that are part of Iraq's air defense communications system running between Al Kut and Al Basrah and between Al Kut and An Nasiriyah; and at 3:40 p.m. they targeted a mobile radar unit that Iraqis also had moved into the zone, near Al Kut, said U.S. Central Command spokesman Maj. Pete Mitchell.

An Nasiriyah is some 300 miles south of Baghdad and Al Basrah some 200 miles south. Al Kut is about 160 miles southeast of the capital.

Mitchell declined to say how many planes participated in the missions or how many bombs were dropped. A Pentagon official said Navy aircraft flew from the USS Constellation and British and U.S. Air Force planes flew from land bases. He declined to name them, but planes monitoring the northern zone that protects Iraq's Kurdish minority fly out of Incirlik air base in Turkey and those in the south have routinely flown from Kuwait, though officials said recently that Saudi Arabian officials have been allowing U.S. warplanes to fly strike missions from there as well.

Iraq says the U.S. and British patrols violate its sovereignty and its forces frequently shoot at allied pilots in both zones.

Penetrations by Iraqi jets into the zone are less frequent but not uncommon. A week ago, an Iraqi MIG-25 shot down a U.S. Predator drone conducting reconnaissance near Al Kut, U.S. military officials said.

However, Iraqi state-run television appeared to say that ground-based air defenses shot it down.

Before Monday afternoon's multiple strikes, the previous coalition attack in southern Iraq was Sunday, when allies targeted surface-to-air missile sites near Ad Diwaniyah, about 75 miles south of Baghdad.

Meanwhile, Iraq has protested a U.S. airstrike that reportedly killed three Iraqis and wounded 16 others in the nation's south, calling it a material breach to Security Council resolutions.

In a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri described the Dec. 26 airstrike as "a barbaric and terrorist act, with a direct participation of the rulers of Kuwait, and it represents a material breach to the Security Council resolutions."

WASHINGTON, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Aircraft taking part in U.S.-British patrols over southern Iraq on Monday attacked Iraqi air defense facilities, including a mobile radar unit, after the Iraqis flew military aircraft into a "no-fly" zone, the U.S. military said.

It marked the second straight day and the fourth in five days that the Western aircraft attacked Iraqi targets in the southern no-fly zone.

The U.S. Central Command said in a statement from its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, that the aircraft used precision-guided weapons to target Iraqi military air defense communications facilities and an air defense mobile radar.

"The coalition targeted the communications facilities after Iraqi forces flew military aircraft into the southern no-fly zone earlier today (Monday)," said Central Command, which oversees military operations in the region. "They struck the mobile radar after Iraqi forces moved it into the southern no-fly zone today. Its presence was a direct threat to coalition aircraft and crews."

Central Command did not specify the kind of aircraft involved in the attacks, nor did it give the locations of the attacks. Central Command said damage assessment is ongoing.

The communications facilities were attacked at about 2:30 p.m. EST (10:30 p.m. local time/1930 GMT), while the mobile radar unit was attacked at about 3:40 p.m. EST (11:40 p.m. local time/2040 GMT), Central Command said.

On Sunday, the Western warplanes attacked Iraqi surface-to-air missile system radar sites south of Baghdad.

CNN reported on Monday that a Predator unmanned aircraft carried out Friday's attack, using a Hellfire missile against an Iraqi communications van. Pentagon officials on Monday declined to identify the aircraft involved in the attack.

Friday's attack came just four days after Iraqi warplanes shot down a Predator that was patrolling the no-fly zone in southern Iraq.

In most of the attacks, U.S. aircraft drop the bombs and fire missiles at ground targets, but British aircraft also participate in many such raids. The U.S. military will not specify which jets actually drop bombs in specific attacks.

The United States and Britain carry out patrols of no-fly zones created after the Gulf War in 1991 in northern and southern Iraq with the stated intention of protecting Kurds in the north and Shiite Muslims in the south from the Iraqi military. However, Iraq does not recognize the zones.

Monday's attack was the latest in a lengthy series of tit-for-tat exchanges since the Gulf War. A recent escalation in the number of such incidents has coincided with the U.S. military build-up in the region ahead of a possible war against Iraq to eliminate its alleged banned weapons programs.

The Iraqi government has said the warplanes often strike civilian sites and kill innocent people. The U.S. military says civilians and civilian facilities are never targeted.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and British warplanes Sunday attacked two Iraqi military radar sites after Iraqi forces moved the facilities into the southern "no-fly" zone, the U.S. military said.

The U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the region, said Western warplanes used precision-guided weapons to target the Iraqi facilities near Ad Diwaniyah, about 75 miles south of Baghdad.

The air strikes were the first in the southern "no-fly" zone since Friday, and occurred at around 7:40 a.m. EST, Central Command said in a statement. It said coalition forces were still assessing damage from the attacks.

"The coalition executed today's strike after Iraqi forces moved the system into the Southern No-Fly zone," the statement said. "Its presence was a threat to Coalition aircraft."

On Dec. 27, warplanes targeted an Iraqi military air defense command and control system, which supported highly mobile surface-to-air missile systems. The system was located near Al Kut.

The warplanes are part of a U.S.-British operation patrolling no-fly zones set up in northern and southern Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War (news - web sites) to protect Kurds in the north and Shiite Muslims in the south from the Iraqi military. Iraq does not recognize the zones.

Attacks have increased in recent weeks as the United States has boosted its military presence in the region in case of war against Iraq to eliminate banned weapons programs.

The Iraqi government has said the jets frequently strike civilian sites and kill innocent people. U.S. officials say the jets never intentionally target civilians.

President Bush has made no decision yet on using force against Iraq but the United States has been positioning itself militarily for whatever might be required, Secretary of State Colin Powell told NBC's "Meet the Press" program Sunday

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iraqi military said U.S. and British warplanes killed three people and wounded 16 on Thursday when they bombed civilian targets, including a mosque, in southern Iraq.

In Washington, the U.S. military said the planes attacked Iraqi military command and control facilities after Iraqi aircraft violated the southern "no-fly" zone.

"The evil criminals in the evil American administration and its humble servant Britain added a new crime to their black record against civilization and humanity and the houses of God when their warplanes bombed economic and civilian installations and cities," the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) said. An Iraqi air defense spokesman said in a statement the planes targeted civilian sites in the provinces of Basra and Nassiriyah in the south at 7:40 a.m., killing three people and wounding 16.

He said Iraqi anti-aircraft guns fired at the attacking planes and forced them to return to bases in Kuwait.

INA said the planes bombed a mosque on the outskirts of Nassiriyah city, 375 km (235 miles) south of Baghdad, destroying it. It did not say if there were casualties in the mosque.

The U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the region, said Western warplanes used precision-guided weapons to target the Iraqi facilities near Tallil, about 175 miles southeast of Baghdad.

"The coalition executed today's strike after Iraqi military aircraft violated the Southern No-Fly zone," the statement said, adding that coalition forces were still assessing the attack damage.

The warplanes are part of a U.S.-British operation patrolling no-fly zones set up in northern and southern Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurds in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from possible attacks by the Iraqi military. Iraq does not recognize the zones.

Attacks have increased in recent weeks as the United States boosts its military presence in the region in case of war against Iraq over its alleged weapons of mass destruction.

The Iraqi government has said the jets frequently strike civilian sites and kill innocent people. U.S. officials say the jets never target civilians.

US Bombs Southern Iraq (AP Headline: Coalition Jets Fire on Two Iraqi Sites)

CAIRO, Egypt –– U.S. jets fired on two Iraqi air defense sites in the southern no-fly zone Friday after an Iraqi jet entered the restricted air space, the U.S. Central Command reported on its Web site.

The coalition fighters used precision-guided weapons on the targets near An Nasiriyah, 300 miles, and Al Basrah, 200 miles south of Baghdad.

The last strike by U.S. jets was on Wednesday when they hit an Iraqi air defense radar site south of Al Kut.

U.S. and British planes have patrolled the no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq since the end of the Gulf War in 1991. The zones were established to protect Iraqi Shiites in the south of the country and Kurds in the north.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military says American and British warplanes fired on air defences in southern Iraq on Tuesday.

The Pentagon says it happened after Iraqi forces moved a mobile radar system into the 'no-fly' zone.

The U.S. Central Command says the aircraft used precision-guided weapons on the equipment located about 100 kilometres southeast of Baghdad.

It is the fourth attack in five days on Iraqi air defence sites by planes monitoring the zone.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American and British warplanes attacked air defenses in southern Iraq for the third successive day on Monday in response to attempts to shoot down the planes policing a "no-fly" zone, the U.S. military said.

The U.S. Central Command said in a release from its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, that the warplanes dropped precision bombs on a military communications site south of Al Kut, approximately 100 miles southeast of Baghdad.

The Western warplanes on Sunday also attacked an Iraqi mobile radar and a cable relay communications target in the southern no-fly zone, the Central Command said. On Saturday, warplanes hit multiple communications facilities.

"The coalition executed today's strike after Iraqi artillery fired on coalition aircraft," it said, adding that a mobile air-defense radar was also in the area of the strike.

The tit-for-tat exchanges in no-fly zones of both northern and southern Iraq have gone on since the 1991 Gulf War but have increased sharply since last summer as the United States has organized a military buildup ahead of a possible invasion of Iraq.

Iraq does not recognize the no-fly zones, set up after the Gulf War to protect a Kurdish enclave in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from possible attack by Iraqi forces.

Baghdad has charged the jets often strike civilian sites and kill innocent people, but U.S. officials say the jets never intentionally target civilians

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and British warplanes attacked Iraqi air defense facilities on Sunday after Iraqi artillery fired at allied aircraft patrolling the "no-fly" zone in southern Iraq, the U.S. military said.

US/Britain strike Iraqi communications sites (CNN Headline: "Coalition Forces strike Iraqi communications sites")

(CNN) -- U.S.-led coalition aircraft hit Iraqi air-defense communication facilities Saturday southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, responding to what the U.S. military termed "hostile threats and acts" against patrols over the southern "no-fly" zone.

Operation Southern Watch aircraft struck three facilities, the U.S. Central Command said: near Al Kut, about 100 miles southeast of the Iraqi capital; Qal'at Sukkar, about 170 miles southeast of Baghdad; and Al Amarah, about 165 miles east-southeast of the city.

The attacks took place about 1 a.m. EST, and all the coalition aircraft returned safely, U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Pete Mitchell said.

Without a specific United Nations resolution, U.S. and British aircraft have enforced no-fly zones -- which Iraq does not recognize -- over northern and southern Iraq since the end of the Persian Gulf War in 1991 to protect Kurds in the north and Shiite Muslims in the south from possible attacks by the Iraqi government.

Iraqi officials insist that the zones violate the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Baghdad refuses to recognize them.

Since December 1998, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has challenged the enforcement by firing at coalition aircraft with surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery, and by targeting them with radar, Central Command said.

As of September, the Pentagon had counted more than 130 incidents of Iraqi surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery fire directed against coalition aircraft this year.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and British warplanes on Tuesday attacked an anti-aircraft missile system in a "no-fly" zone in southern Iraq in the first such raid in a week against Iraqi air defenses, the U.S. military said.

Responding to "Iraqi threats against coalition aircraft," warplanes bombed a mobile surface-to-air missile system south of Al Amarah, approximately 165 miles southeast of Baghdad, the U.S. Central Command said from the Macdill Air Force base in Florida.

The military was evaluating the damage from the attack that occurred at approximately 2 p.m. in the zone, the statement said. giving no details.

After three raids in four days at the start of the month, Tuesday's strike was the first since Dec. 4 when the United States bombed elements of an air defense system in a no-fly zone in the north of the Gulf nation. U.s. military officials said the attack was made after Iraqi forces fired anti-aircraft guns at jets policing the zone.

The tit-for-tat exchanges have gone on since the 1991 Gulf War but have increased sharply in recent months as the United States has organized a military buildup within striking distance of Iraq ahead of a possible invasion of Iraq.

The latest air strike was the first since Iraq met a U.N. deadline last weekend to present the world body with a formal declaration of its weapons programs in accordance with a new U.N. resolution.

The attack also came as U.N. arms inspectors continued a new round of inspections of Iraqi sites under the resolution ordering Baghdad to prove it has given up any chemical, biological and nuclear arms programs.

The United States has said it could launch a military invasion of Iraq if President Saddam Hussein does not comply with the order to disarm.

Some U.S. officials have suggested Iraqi aggression against U.S. jets patrolling the zones could be a breach of the new U.N. resolution.

Iraq does not recognize the no-fly zones, set up after the Gulf War to protect a Kurdish enclave in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from possible attack by Iraqi forces.

Baghdad has charged the jets often strike civilian sites and kill innocent people, but U.S. officials say the jets never intentionally target civilians.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and British warplanes on Wednesday attacked targets in a "no-fly" zone in northern Iraq in the third such raid in four days against Iraqi air defenses, the U.S. military said.

Iraqi forces fired anti-aircraft guns at jets policing the zone from sites about 15 miles northeast of Mosul and warplanes responded by dropping precision guided bombs on elements of the air defense system, the U.S. European Command said in a statement from Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.

The statement gave no further details except to say that all aircraft departed the area safely.

Two similar raids were conducted on Sunday and Monday in northern and southern no-fly zones of Iraq in response to firing from the ground, according to the U.S. military. The tit-for-tat exchanges have gone on since the 1991 Gulf War (news - web sites) but have increased sharply in recent months as speculation has grown about a possible U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

The latest air strike came as U.N. arms inspectors continued a new round of inspections of Iraqi sites under a recently passed U.N. resolution ordering Baghdad to prove that it has given up any chemical, biological and nuclear arms programs.

The United States has warned that it could launch a military invasion of Iraq if President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) does not comply with the order to disarm.

Iraq does not recognize the no-fly zones, set up after the Gulf War to protect a Kurdish enclave in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from possible attack by Iraqi forces.

Baghdad has charged that the jets often strike civilian sites and kill innocent people, but the Pentagon says that the jets never intentionally target civilians.

Iraq earlier complained to the United Nations over what it called Sunday's Western air raid on civilian targets in its southern port city of Basra, and urged the world body to end U.S. and British patrols over the country.

Foreign Minister Naji Sabri, in a letter to U.N. Secretary- General Kofi Annan described Sunday's raid as part of a "barbaric terrorist aggression" against Iraq.

U.S. Warplanes Bomb Air Defense Site in Northern Iraq After Being Fired Upon by Iraqi Forces

ANKARA, Turkey Dec. 2 — U.S. warplanes bombed an air defense site in northern Iraq on Monday after being fired upon by Iraqi forces while patrolling a no-fly zone, the U.S. military said.

The U.S. European Command based in Stuttgart, Germany, said Iraqi forces fired anti-aircraft artillery at coalition planes near the northern city of Mosul.

"Coalition aircraft responded in self-defense to the Iraqi attacks by dropping precision guided munitions," the statement said.

Iraq considers the patrols, set up following the 1991 Persian Gulf War, a violation of its sovereignty and frequently shoots at the American and British planes. The no-fly zones were set up over southern and northern Iraq to protect the Kurdish and Shiite Muslim minorities.

The planes enforcing the northern no-fly zone are based at Incirlik air base in southern Turkey.

Also Monday, U.S. aircraft dropped 240,000 leaflets over communications facilities in southern Iraq, about 100-150 miles southeast of Baghdad. The sites, between the cities of Al Kut and An Nasiriyah, were damaged by U.S. airstrikes Sunday.

Two of the leaflet messages urged the Iraqi military not to repair the communications facilities, while a third warned that Iraqi firing on U.S. and British aircraft flying over southern Iraq could trigger more allied attacks.

Western planes hit Iraq sites in no-fly zone, Iraq claims one person killed. Leaflets warning Iraqis dropped in southern areaThursday, November 28, 2002 INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey (CNN) -- U.S.-British coalition aircraft bombed Iraqi air-defense sites in the northern no-fly zone Thursday in response to anti-aircraft fire, officials said. Meanwhile, coalition planes dropped leaflets in the southern no-fly zone warning the Iraqis not to repair damaged air defense sites.

In the northern zone, coalition patrols attacked sites south of Tall Afar after the Iraqis fired at the planes, said Capt. Sarah Kerwin of the coalition's Combined Task Force. All aircraft returned safely to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, Kerwin said.

In the southern no-fly zone, 360,000 leaflets fluttered to the ground between Al Kut and Al Basrah, 100 to 150 miles southwest of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, according to Maj. Pete Mitchell at U.S. Central Command headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. The leaflets were dropped in the area of unmanned communication facilities that were hit by coalition airstrikes Friday, Mitchell said. Some leaflets, written in Arabic, warned the Iraqi military not to repair the facilities, which were used to track and engage coalition no-fly zone patrols. Other fliers said that the no-fly zone enforcement protects Iraqis and warned that airstrikes could follow any threats on coalition aircraft. The leaflet drop was the fifth in the southern no-fly zone in the past two months.

The no-fly zones, designed to protect Kurds in northern Iraq and Shiites in the southern part of the country from the Iraqi regime, have been a bone of contention between the U.S.-British coalition and Iraq since they were established after the Persian Gulf War in 1991 -- without a specific U.N. resolution. Iraqi officials insist that the zones violate the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and they refuse to recognize them. U.S. officials have cited U.N. Resolution 1441 -- the latest disarmament resolution -- to back up the no-fly zones and coalition response to hostile activity from the Iraqis. The resolution says in part, "Iraq shall not take or threaten hostile acts directed against any representative or personnel of the United Nations ... [or] any member state taking action to uphold any [U.N. Security Council] resolution." White House officials have said continued attempts by Iraq to target coalition aircraft amount to a "material breach" of the resolution that the U.N. Security Council passed November 8 calling for Iraq to disarm. But U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said that the attacks did not constitute a material breach.

Beginning in December 1998, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein began challenging the coalition enforcement by firing surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery, and targeting them with radar, according to the U.S. European Command.

Central Command said that the Iraqis have fired on coalition aircraft more than 130 times so far this year.Iraq says U.S., British bombing kills civilian.Assoc. Press Nov. 28, 2002 BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. and British warplanes attacked a "civilian and services" installation in northern Iraq on Thursday, killing one civilian, the official Iraqi News Agency said. A coalition statement said planes dropped precision-guided bombs after being fired on by anti-aircraft artillery. The statement from the U.S.-led Operation Northern Watch headquarters in Turkey said the artillery fire came from sites south of Tall Afar, a town in the Nineveh province. It said all aircraft left the airspace safely.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Western planes bombed a mobile radar system in southern Iraq on Saturday, continuing the recent "spike" in skirmishes in the no-fly zone, the U.S. military said.

The most recent strike, at about 6 a.m. EST, hit facilities located south of Al Amarah, about 165 miles southeast of Baghdad.

"Today's strike came after Iraq moved the mobile radar into the southern no-fly zone. The radar provides tracking and guidance for surface-to-air missile systems that can target coalition (U.S. and British) aircraft," the U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

The statement said the strike was a "self-defense measure" in response to "Iraqi hostile threats and acts" but gave no indication that Iraqi forces had actually fired on U.S. and British aircraft patrolling the no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq.

It said the last strikes in the southern no-fly zone occurred on Nov. 22 against unmanned communication facilities, also near Al Amarah.

U.S. officials have said that continued firing by Iraqi defenses at U.S. and British jets patrolling the no-fly zones was a direct violation of the Nov. 8 U.N. resolution on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

President Bush, who advocates "regime change" in Baghdad, has said that if Iraq is found in to be "material breach" of the U.N. resolution -- aimed at forcing Iraq to disarm -- the Gulf state would face "severe consequences."

But U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and most of the international community disagree that Iraqi attacks on U.S. and British planes in the no-fly zone would constitute a "material breach."

Since Nov. 8, Iraqi air defenses have fired on Western planes on at least 11 days in the south and two days in the north, according to a Pentagon count.

The zones, created by Western allies after the 1991 Gulf War, are not recognized by Baghdad.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. and British warplanes hit targets in southern Iraq for the third successive day on Friday, Iraqi and U.S. military officials said, as Washington continued a build-up for possible war against Baghdad.

An Iraqi military spokesman said the planes attacked "civilian and service installations" in Basra province southeast of Baghdad and said the planes were driven off by Iraqi anti-aircraft fire.

A statement from the U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military action in the region, said planes monitoring a no-fly zone over the southern section of the country bombed "unmanned communications facilities" south of Al Amarah.

It said the strike occurred at 6:30 a.m. EST after an Iraqi military jet flew into the no-fly zone.

The United States, backed up by a U.N. resolution, has threatened "serious consequences" against Iraq unless it ends nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and has built up its forces in the Gulf. Baghdad denies it has such weapons.

U.S. planes, aided by British aircraft, have frequently hit ground targets since no-fly zones were set up in north and south Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War, but such attacks have increased in recent months.

The Iraqi military spokesman, quoted by the official Iraqi News Agency, said: "At 10:30 a.m. today, U.S. and British planes violated our air space, carrying out 57 sorties from bases in Kuwait, flying over Qalat Saleh, Qurna, Samawa, Salman, Nasiriya, Najaf, Basra..." the Iraqi spokesman said.

"The planes attacked our civilian and service installations in Basra province," he said. No casualties were reported.

Iraq's anti-aircraft and missile batteries fired at the aircraft, forcing them to return to their bases, he added.

The flight exclusion zones were set up to protect a Kurdish enclave in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from attack by President Saddam Hussein's military after the war.

Iraq does not recognize the zones and frequently accuses the jets of causing civilian casualties.

U.S. officials say continued firing at Western patrol jets by Iraqi defenses is a direct violation of the November 8 U.N. resolution which set up a mechanism to dismantle any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has disagreed with that interpretation, saying Iraq's firing on the aircraft did not violate the resolution.

Western Planes Bomb Targets in Southern IraqThu Nov 21, 1:45 PM ET BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. and British warplanes bombed two air defense radar sites in southern Iraq on Thursday in the latest of a series of strikes in the no-fly zones, the U.S. military said. Iraq said the planes were driven off by anti-aircraft fire in the second consecutive day of Western strikes. The Western warplanes first struck a radar near Ash Shuaybah about 245 miles southeast of Baghdad at 4:20 a.m. EST. Then they bombed a radar near Tallil, about 170 miles southeast of Baghdad about 6:30 a.m. EST, U.S. Central Command said. U.S. defense officials said the strikes were in retaliation for Iraqi air defenses attacking U.S. and British planes that patrol no-fly zones in southern and northern Iraq. "They responded to Iraq moving a surface-to-air missile battery into the southern no-fly zone," said Lt. Col. Dave Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman. An Iraqi military spokesman, quoted by the official Iraqi News Agency, said Western planes bombed "civilian and service installations" in the provinces of Thi Qar and Basra, southeast of Baghdad. Thursday's strike came after U.S. and British warplanes bombed three air defense communications facilities in southern Iraq on Wednesday in response to Iraqi missile attacks. Iraq does not recognize the flight exclusion zones set up by Western powers after the 1991 Gulf War to protect a Kurdish enclave in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from attack by President Saddam Hussein's military. U.S. officials say that continued firing at Western patrol jets by Iraqi defenses is a direct violation of the Nov. 8 U.N. resolution, aimed at ridding Iraq of any nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) has disagreed with that interpretation, saying Iraq's firing on the aircraft did not violate the resolution. The United States accuses Iraq of amassing weapons of mass destruction and has threatened military action to force disarmament if it does not cooperate with U.N. arms inspectors who resumed work in the country this week after a four-year absence.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Western planes bombed three air defense communications facilities in southern Iraq on Wednesday after Iraqi air defenses fired missiles, extending the recent "spike" in skirmishes in the no-fly zones, the U.S. military said.

November 18, 2002 by Robert Burns, AP Military Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - For the second day in a row, allied warplanes patrolling a no-fly zone in northern Iraq came under fire from anti-aircraft artillery and responded by bombing near the city of Mosul, U.S. officials said. Also, U.S. planes bombed three sites in southern Iraq after Iraqi air defense units fired multiple surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery at the planes. Separately, the U.S. Central Command said U.S. planes dropped 120,000 leaflets Sunday near the town of Ar Rumaythah, in southern Iraq. They warn the Iraqi military to stop firing on U.S. and British planes patrolling the southern no-fly zone. It was the fourth leaflet drop in the last eight weeks in the region. One of the leaflets warned Iraqi air defense forces: "Beware: Do not track or fire on coalition aircraft." The back of the leaflet read: "The destruction experienced by your colleagues in other air defense locations is a response to your continuing aggression toward planes of the coalition forces. No tracking or firing on these aircraft will be tolerated. You could be next." Previous leaflet drops had been near the southern cities of Tallil, Basra and As Samawah. In another act of defiance of the no-fly zone patrols, an Iraqi fighter jet on Monday flew south across the 33rd parallel, penetrating about 50 miles into the southern zone, a senior defense official said. There were no American or British fighter jets close enough to respond before the Iraqi jet left, the official said. Another Iraqi aircraft flew into the northern no-fly zone Monday, the official said, without provoking a U.S. response. The U.S. airstrikes in southern Iraq on Monday targeted an air defense communications facility near Tallil and an air defense radar and communications facility near Al Kut. Both locations are southeast of Baghdad and have been frequent targets of U.S. bombs in recent months. Tallil is an air defense hub for southern Iraq. Iraqi aircraft occasionally fly into the northern or southern zones, but more often Iraqis have fired anti-aircraft artillery or surface-to-air missiles at U.S. and British planes enforcing the zones. At the White House, spokesman Scott McClellan sa id Monday the Iraqi firing on coalition aircraft "appears to be a violation" of the United Nations resolution on Iraq. He said the U.N. resolution "does give us that option to refer this violation to the Security Council for discussion." Asked whether the administration would do that, McClellan replied, "We have that option." He added, "Our planes will continue to respond when fired upon." In announcing Monday's action in northern Iraq, the German-based U.S. European Command said coalition planes used precision-guided weapons to target Iraqi air defense systems, but it provided no specific location. A similar exchange happened Sunday. The European Command statement said all planes used in the operation returned safely to their base. The planes operate from Incirlik air base in southern Turkey. Iraq considers patrols of the northern and southern no-fly zones a violation of its sovereignty and frequently shoots at them. The hostilities have been going on for years but are being watched more closely since Washington has vowed to force President Saddam Hussein to disarm

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and British warplanes bombed an air defense communications center in southern Iraq on Friday night after Iraqi forces fired artillery and missiles at the jets patrolling a "no-fly" zone in the south, the U.S. military said.

Pentagon (news - web sites) officials said Iraq has continued to try to shoot down the aircraft policing no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq, even after Baghdad agreed last week to accept U.N. arms inspectors under a new Security Council resolution ordering the country to give up weapons programs.

The U.S. Central Command based in Tampa, Florida, said the jets attacked an air defense communications center near an-Najaf, about 85 miles southeast of Baghdad just before 11 p.m. in Iraq.

All aircraft left the area safely and damage to the ground target was being assessed, the command said.

"Today's strike came after Iraqi forces fired anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles at coalition aircraft," the announcement said.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld suggested last week that if the Iraqis continued to fire at the warplanes, it would constitute a violation of the new U.N. resolution. But he was not specific on what that would mean, despite threats from President Bush (news - web sites) to invade Iraq if President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) does not end nuclear, chemical and biological arms programs.

The number of incidents involving U.S. and British air patrols over no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq has risen sharply in recent months as speculation has grown that the United States could launch an invasion to topple Saddam.

The warplanes have attacked Iraqi air defenses in the zones 57 times this year. Forty-four of those attacks have come in the southern zone.

Iraq does not recognize the zones, set up after the 1991 Gulf War (news - web sites) to protect a Kurdish enclave in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from attack by Saddam's military.

The most recent strike before Friday's was last Sunday, when American and British warplanes bombed anti-aircraft missile sites in the southern zone.

Those jets used precision-guided weapons to target two surface-to-air SAM missile sites near Tallil, approximately 175 miles southeast of Baghdad, according to the Central Command.

WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Western warplanes bombed targets in southern Iraq on Wednesday, Iraqi and U.S. military authorities said.

The U.S. Central Command said from its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, that U.S. and British warplanes bombed two anti-aircraft missile sites and a military command post in a southern "no-fly zone" of Iraq in response to continued attempts to shoot down patrolling aircraft.

It said the attacks were against missile batteries near al Kut, 100 miles southeast of the capital Baghdad, and an air defense command and control facility near Tallil, 155 miles southeast of Baghdad.

An Iraqi military spokesman, quoted by the official Iraqi News Agency (INA), said U.S. and British planes bombed "civilian installations" in the provinces of Wassit and Dhi qar. Kut is in Wassit province.

Iraqi and U.S. military authorities gave different times for the bombings -- Central Command said the attacks were launched at about 2:30 p.m., while Baghdad said they took place at 12:25 p.m. on Wednesday.

All aircraft left the area safely and damage to the targets was being assessed, according to Central Command, responsible for U.S. military operations in the Middle East and Gulf.

The Iraqi spokesman said Iraqi forces opened fire at the planes, forcing them to return to their bases in Kuwait.

Iraq does not recognize the zones, set up after the 1991 Gulf War to protect a Kurdish enclave in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from attack by Saddam's military.

Iraq accuses Western patrols of attacking civilian targets and killing innocent people. Washington and London deny the charge.

The warplanes have attacked Iraqi air defenses in the zones 54 times this year. Forty-one of those attacks have come in the southern zone.

ANKARA, Turkey (Assoc. Press) - Allied warplanes bombed Iraqi defense systems in the northern no-fly zone over Iraq Wednesday after being fired upon during routine patrols, the U.S. military said.

The planes used precision-guided weapons to target Iraqi air defense systems, the Stuttgart, Germany-based U.S. European Command said. There was no further information on the targeted sites. The Iraqi forces fired anti-aircraft weapons at the planes.

U.S. and British aircraft patrol the northern no-fly zone. The U.S. warplanes usually fly fighter and bombing mission while the British fly reconnaissance missions. The military statement did not specify if U.S. warplanes carried out the attack.

None of the planes, which are based at Incirlik air base, in southern Turkey, was hit, it said.

Iraq considers patrols of the northern no-fly zone — and of another one in the south of Iraq — a violation of its sovereignty and frequently shoots at the patrols.

The hostilities have been going on for years but are being watched more closely since Washington has vowed to oust President Saddam's Hussein's regime.

WASHINGTON - For the second time in a month, allied aircraft dropped leaflets over southern Iraq to warn Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s military not to fire on U.S. and British warplanes.

"Before you engage coalition aircraft, think about the consequences," says one version of the Arabic leaflets.

The front depicts an Iraqi soldier shooting at an aircraft, and the back showed the soldier surrounded by smoke and shrapnel from a retaliatory allied strike. Another picture on the back depicts an Iraqi woman and children.

"Think about your family," said an English translation released Monday by the Pentagon (news - web sites). "Do what you must to survive."

The U.S.-British coalition has been patrolling two zones over the country for a decade in an effort to restrict Iraqi flights into the areas. Baghdad considers the patrol flights violations of its sovereignty, and Iraqi forces regularly try to shoot the planes down.

Some 180,000 leaflets were dropped, 120,000 over the port city of Basra and 60,000 over As Samawah, on the Euphrates River, Pentagon officials said. Because of a malfunction in the delivery system, coalition aircraft returned to base with another 60,000 that had been meant for As Samawah, officials said.

The drop was made Sunday and acknowledged by the Pentagon Monday only after reporters asked about it.

A second leaflet dropped Sunday depicts an Iraqi weapon shooting at an airplane, and the weapon being blown up, with the words, "You decide."

Following a similar drop Oct. 3, it was the second direct warning from the Pentagon to Iraq's military rank and file as the Bush administration pursues its campaign to remove Saddam, Iraq's president. Before that, the last drop was in October 2001, officials said.

The leaflets were in the southern zone, set up to protect Shiite Muslims. The northern zone was set up to protect the Kurdish population. Both groups were given protection after unsuccessfully rising in revolt against Saddam.

The last coalition bombing reported over Iraq was Wednesday, when allied planes used precision-guided weapons to target an air defense communications facility near Al Jarrah, 90 miles southeast of Baghdad, and an air-defense operations center near Tallil, 160 miles southeast of Baghdad, U.S. Central Command said.

That bombing brought to 52 the number of days this year that such strikes were reported. It was the 40th in the south, and 12 have been reported by U.S. defense officials in the north.

WASHINGTON ( Reuters) - U.S. and British warplanes attacked Iraqi air defenses in a "no-fly" zone south of Baghdad early on Wednesday in the second such strike in two days, the U.S. military said.

The U.S. Central Command said the jets attacked an air defense communications facility near al Jarrah 90 miles southeast of Baghdad and an air defense operations center near Tallil 160 miles southeast of Baghdad in response to attempts to shoot down patrolling aircraft.

American and British jets attacked air defenses in a northern Iraq no-fly zone on Tuesday, the Pentagon (news - web sites) said earlier. An air defense spokesman in Baghdad charged those aircraft targeted civilian installations.

The warplanes have now attacked air defenses in the two no-fly zones 52 times this year in raids that have escalated sharply as speculation has grown that the United States might invade Iraq to remove President Saddam Hussein, accused by Washington of developing chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

The Central Command, based in Tampa, Florida, said in a statement that Wednesday's raids were launched at approximately 1:10 a.m. in Iraq. The strike at Tallil was the latest of several attacks on a major air defense center there.

"Today's strikes came after Iraqi forces fired surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery at coalition aircraft in the southern no-fly zone," said the Central Command, which is responsible for U.S. military operations in the Gulf region.

Iraq, which does not recognize the zones set up after the 1991 Gulf War, charges the Western warplanes have attacked civilian targets and killed innocent people. The Pentagon denies that.

The zones are meant to protect a Kurdish enclave in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from possible attack by Iraqi forces.

"Coalition strikes in the no-fly zones are executed as a self-defense measure in response to Iraq hostile threats and acts against coalition forces and their aircraft," the Central Command insisted again on Wednesday.

"Coalition aircraft never target civilian populations or infrastructure and go to painstaking lengths to avoid injury to civilians and damage to civilian facilities."

Despite speculation over a possible U.S. invasion of Iraq, President Bush said this week he believed Iraq could be disarmed peacefully, and he was willing to give diplomacy one more try.

He spoke as the United States continued to press in the United Nations for a new resolution declaring Iraq in violation of Security Council resolutions ordering Baghdad to disarm after the Gulf War.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and British warplanes attacked Iraqi air defenses in a northern "no-fly" zone on Tuesday after Iraqi forces fired on patrolling jets, the U.S. military said.

It was the latest in a series of increasing exchanges in no-fly zones of northern and southern Iraq in recent months as speculation has grown that the United States might invade the country to oust President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), whom Washington accuses of developing chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

Tuesday's strikes using guided bombs were launched against "elements of the Iraqi integrated air defense system" after Iraqi forces fired at U.S. and British jets northeast of Mosul, the U.S. European Command said in a statement.

The command, which has responsibility for military operations in northern Iraq, did not specify what targets were hit, but said the jets left the area safely. Pentagon (news - web sites) officials said the strikes were launched in the vicinity of Mosul and that damage to the targets was still being assessed.

The warplanes have hit Iraqi air defenses in the two no-fly zones 51 times this year, 39 times in the south and 12 times in the north.

The zones, set up after the 1991 Gulf War (news - web sites) and which Iraq does not recognize, are meant to protect a Kurdish enclave in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from possible attack by Iraqi forces.

President Bush (news - web sites) said Monday he believed Iraq could be disarmed peacefully, and he was willing to give diplomacy one more try.

"We've tried diplomacy. We're trying it one more time. I believe the free world, if we make up our mind to, can disarm this man peacefully, but if not we have the will and the desire as do other nations to disarm Saddam," Bush told reporters.

He said U.S. policy seeking a regime change in Iraq remained, but said if Saddam met all U.N. disarmament demands "that in itself would signal that the regime has changed."

He spoke as the United States continued to press in the United Nations (news - web sites) for a new resolution declaring Iraq in violation of Security Council resolutions ordering Baghdad to disarm after the Gulf War and warning that Saddam could face action if he did not comply.

WASHINGTON - Allied planes bombed a military command facility in the southern no-fly zone over Iraq on Tuesday after taking fire from Iraqi forces, U.S. defense officials said.

The bombing brought to 50 the number of days this year that such strikes were reported by the United States and Britain coalition, whose mission is to patrol two zones set up to protect Iraqi minorities following the 1991 Gulf War.

Coalition planes targeted precision-guided weapons at 1015GMT at a command and control and communications facility near Al Kut, about 100 miles (1670 kilometers) from the capital, Baghdad, said a statement from the U.S. Central Command. It said damage assessment was incomplete.

"Coalition strikes in the no-fly zones are executed as a self-defense measure in response to Iraqi hostile threats and acts against coalition forces and their aircraft," the statement said.

Iraq considers the patrols a violation of its sovereignty and frequently shoots at the planes. In response, coalition pilots try to bomb Iraqi air defenses.

Before Tuesday's retaliatory strike, Iraqi forces fired surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery at coalition aircraft, Central Command said.

The hostilities have been going on for years but have taken on new importance since the Bush administration has vowed to oust President Saddam's Hussein's regime. The Pentagon has also changed its targeting in recent months, not necessarily hitting back at facilities from which the hostilities originate, but rather planning strikes that will do the most to disable Iraq air defenses.

According to figures released by the command, Tuesday was the 39th day this year that the U.S.-British operation retaliated against Iraq in the southern zone, set up to protect Shiite Muslims. There have been 11 such days in the northern zone, set up to protect the Kurdish population.

WASHINGTON - Allied planes bombed radar and missile sites in the southern no-fly zone over Iraq on Thursday, targeting President Saddam Hussein's air defenses for the third time this week.

The strike brought to 48 the number of days this year that such bombings were reported by the United States and the United Kingdom coalition, whose mission is to patrol two zones set up to protect Iraqi minorities following the 1991 Gulf War.

Coalition planes targeted precision-guided weapons at a radar site near Al Basrah, about 245 miles southeast of Baghdad, said a statement from the U.S. Central Command.

At the same time — 4 a.m. EDT — they also launched a strike against a surface-to-air missile site near Tallil, about 160 miles southeast of Baghdad, it said.

Iraq considers the patrols a violation of its sovereignty and frequently shoots at the planes. In response, coalition pilots try to bomb Iraqi air defenses.

According to figures released by the command, that made Thursday the 37th day this year that the U.S.-U.K. operation retaliated against Iraq in the southern zone, set up to protect Shiite Muslims. There have been 11 such days in the northern zone, set up to protect the Kurdish population.

The hostilities have been going on for years but have taken on new importance since the Bush administration has vowed to oust Saddam's regime.

Thursday's strike came after Iraqis fired anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles at coalition aircraft, the statement said. It follows a strike Wednesday that the U.S. European Command said targeted two missile launchers that were considered threatening to allies.

Last Thursday Iraqi forces fired on coalition aircraft dropping leaflets in the southern no-fly zone and allies bombed a defense operations center at Tallil in response.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - U.S. warplanes bombed missile launchers in Iraq's northern no-fly zone on Wednesday, with American military officials calling them a threat to air patrols over the restricted zone.

The strike brought to 47 the number of days this year that such bombings were reported by the United States and the United Kingdom coalition, whose mission is to patrol two zones set up to protect Iraqi minorities following the 1991 Gulf War.

The planes based enforcing the northern no-fly zone are based in southern Turkey.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and British warplanes dropped thousands of warning leaflets on southern Iraq and bombed an air defense command center on Thursday after Iraq's military tried to shoot down planes that dropped the leaflets, the Pentagon said.

In Baghdad, an Iraqi military spokesman said five civilians had been killed in an air attack on civilian installations in the south.

The last strike in the southern no-fly zone was against a military mobile radar near Al Kut on Tuesday.

Coalition aircraft hit Iraqi targets
Sunday, September 29, 2002 Posted: 9:23 AM EDT (1323 GMT)

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. Central Command said Sunday that coalition aircraft patrolling Iraq's southern no-fly zone struck targets in two
locations.

The command issued a news release saying that precision-guided weapons were used to strike a military mobile radar target near Basra and a
surface-to-air site in Qalat Sikur.

The action was taken in response to hostile Iraqi actions against coalition aircraft monitoring the southern no-fly zone, Centcom said. Iraqi TV reported that U.S. forces struck a mobile radar unit in Basra on Sunday. A coalition spokesman said the action took place about 5 p.m. EDT Saturday, or early Sunday Iraqi time. Basra is 345 miles southeast of Baghdad and Qalat Sikur is 130 miles southeast of Baghdad. Coalition warplanes began enforcing the no-fly zones over Iraq after the 1991 Persian Gulf War to stop Iraq from using its air force against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq and Shiite Muslims in the south.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq said on Thursday U.S. warplanes had raided Basra civilian airport and damaged its radar system, in the latest attack by Western jets enforcing no-fly zones over Iraq.

Iraq's state-run satellite television quoted a government spokesman as saying the attack on the airport in Basra, 480 km (300 miles) southeast of Baghdad, took place on Wednesday night.

Baghdad said on Wednesday U.S. and British jets attacked civilian targets in the south of the country the day before and one civilian was wounded.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq said U.S. and British jets attacked civilian targets in the south of the country on Tuesday and one civilian was wounded.

"Hostile American and British planes violated our airspace at 21:30 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. EDT) yesterday, flying from air bases in Kuwait," an Iraqi military spokesman said on Wednesday in a statement carried by the official Iraqi News Agency (INA).

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq said U.S. and British jets bombed targets in a southern part of the country Sunday, but reported no casualties.

"At 9:35 a.m. local time (1:35 a.m. EDT) today, American and British aircraft violated our airspace, flying from bases in Kuwait and carrying out 38 sorties," an Iraqi military spokesman said in a statement carried by the official Iraqi News Agency (INA).

Washington accuses Baghdad of developing weapons in defiance of U.N. demands first set out at the end of the Gulf War that drove Iraqi troops from Kuwait.

WASHINGTON - Allied aircraft struck Iraq for the third time in a week, bombing a military facility southeast of Baghdad Monday morning, defense officials

said. The attack came after Iraqi forces fired on one of the U.S.-British patrols in the no-fly zone, and followed bombings on Thursday and Saturday, Pentagon officials said.

It brought to 37 the number of strikes reported this year by the United States and the United Kingdom coalition put together to patrol zones in the north and south of Iraq following the 1991 Gulf War In Monday's strike, coalition aircraft used precision-guided weapons to hit an air defense command and control facility near Al Amarah, about 170 miles southeast of the Iraqi capital, the U.S. Central Command said. The command called it "a self-defense measure in response to Iraqi hostile threats and acts against coalition forces and their aircraft."

Monday's strike was in the southern zone, set up to protect Shiite Muslims, and it was the 27th one in the zone this year. In the northern zone, set up to

protect Kurds, there have been 10 this year. Both groups were given protection after unsuccessfully revolting against the regime of Iraqi leader Saddam

Hussein. The strikes come as President George W. Bush administration increases efforts to convince the world of the need to overthrow Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, and as Iraq wages a campaign to rally the world against such a move. But attacks and counterattacks in the no-fly zones have been going on

for several years. The numbers ebb and flow, and the Pentagon says there is no particular increase now. Iraq considers the patrols a violation of its

sovereignty and frequently shoots at the planes with anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles. In response, coalition pilots try to bomb Iraqi air

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American warplanes on Thursday attacked an air defense target in a "no-fly" zone of southern Iraq in the latest in a recently escalating series of exchanges, the U.S. military said. The attack came as President Bush continued to press for the removal of Iraq's President Saddam Hussein from power and amid speculation that Bush might order

In the 35th strike of the year by American and British jets against no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq, the U.S. attack jets launched precision-guided weapons against a command-and-control post at a military airfield 240 miles west of Baghdad, the U.S. military's Central Command said. Iraq does not recognize the zones, set up after the 1991 Gulf War to protect minority Kurds and Shiites from attack by Saddam's military. While attempts to shoot down western warplanes and attacks against ground targets have ebbed and flowed over the years, they have increased in recent weeks with 10 air strikes in August, eight of them in the south.

The Central Command said in a news release from its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, that the strike was in response to recent attempts to shoot down the warplanes that monitor the zones. All aircraft departed the target area safely and damage was being assessed, Central Command said.

Speculation has grown over the summer that the United States will move militarily to oust Saddam, who the Bush administration accuses of developing weapons of mass destruction. Baghdad denies those accusations, and many U.S. allies have voiced strong opposition to any military attack to oust Saddam. Bush promised on Wednesday to seek backing from the U.S. Congress and allies for any such move against Iraq.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq said U.S. and British jets bombed targets in southern Iraq on Thursday and Friday, but reported no casualties. The U.S. military said earlier that its warplanes attacked an anti-aircraft missile site in a "no-fly" zone of southern Iraq on Friday in response to repeated Iraqi attempts to shoot down American and British jets patrolling the zone.

The latest such attack, among hundreds in no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq since the 1991 Gulf War, was carried out against a surface-to-air (SAM) missile site near An Kut some 150 miles southeast of Baghdad at about 10:30 a.m. Iraq time, the military's Central Command said.

Iraq said there had been attacks on Thursday at 11:35 p.m. and on Friday 8:10 a.m. local time 0410. "At 2335 p.m. local time yesterday, hostile planes violated our airspaces, carrying out eight sorties using air bases in Kuwait," the Iraqi military spokesman said in a statement carried by the official Iraqi News Agency (INA).

"The enemy attacked civilian and service installations in Wassit province," the spokesman said. The spokesman added that Western coalition planes struck targets in Wassit province, located 172 km (107 miles) southeast of Baghdad, again on Thursday morning.

"Hostile planes targeted civilian and service installations in Wassit province at 0810 a.m. local time today for the second time," he said.

Iraq's ground air-defenses fired at the planes. U.S. and British aircraft police no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq set up after the Gulf War. Iraq does not recognize the zones. It was the eighth raid by U.S. jets against air defense targets in these areas in less than two weeks.

The exchanges have increased sharply in recent months as speculation has grown that President Bush will order the U.S. military to invade Iraq and to remove President Saddam Hussein from power. Iraq has the second largest oil reserves in the world behind Saudi Arabia.

Baghdad denies accusations from Washington that Saddam is pressing ahead to develop weapons of mass destruction.

The Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Gulf and Middle East, said in a release from its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, that all of the warplanes left the target area successfully and damage to the missile site was still being assessed.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. warplanes struck targets in Iraqi "no-fly" zones Tuesday, with Washington saying they attacked air defense positions but Baghdad saying a civilian airport was one of the places hit.

The U.S. military, citing repeated Iraqi attempts to shoot down U.S. and British warplanes, said its jets attacked a radar site in northern Iraq and an air defense command facility in southern Iraq, in its sixth and seventh raids within a week.

But the official Iraqi News Agency said U.S. and British jets fired two bombs at Mosul civilian airport, 270 miles north of Baghdad.

"The aggression led to the destruction of windows in the passenger terminals and of the airport radar system," a Transport Ministry spokesman told the agency.

An Iraqi military spokesman said Allied jets bombed civilian targets in the south of the country, but reported no casualties.

Hundreds of such tit-for-tat exchanges have occurred since the 1991 Gulf War, but they have increased sharply as speculation grows that President Bush will order the U.S. military to invade Iraq and remove President Saddam Hussein.

Washington accuses him of developing weapons of mass destruction, and on Monday Vice President Dick Cheney said it was time to oust Saddam.

According to the Pentagon, Tuesday's raids against air defenses in the two zones were the sixth and seventh in just over a week with the total number reaching 32 this year.

In a tough speech Cheney called for a liberated Iraq, saying that now, not later, was the time for a pre-emptive strike.

He noted that many U.S. allies, former senior U.S. officials and even congressional leaders in his own Republican Party, were cautioning against military action now.

"Some concede that Saddam is evil, power-hungry and a menace, but that until he crosses the threshold of actually possessing nuclear weapons we should rule out any pre-emptive action," Cheney said.

"Yet if we did wait until that moment, Saddam would simply be emboldened and it would become even harder for us to gather friends and allies to oppose him."

U.S. and British aircraft police no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq set up after the Gulf War.

Baghdad does not recognize the zones, which were imposed to protect a Kurdish enclave in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from possible attacks by Iraqi forces.

U.S. military officials said Western warplanes left the areas of Tuesday's attacks safely and damage was being assessed.

The U.S. European Command in Germany, responsible for military operations in northern Iraq, said jets attacked a radar site near Mosul.

The U.S. Central Command, which heads military operations in the Gulf, said warplanes used precision-guided weapons to strike an air defense command and control facility near An Nukhayb in the southern no-fly zone at about 2:30 a.m. EDT.

Earlier Iraq said U.S. and British warplanes had attacked civilian targets in the south of the country on Monday.

But U.S. and British officials said they were unaware of any attacks on Monday, although raids were conducted on targets in the southern zone on Sunday.

Iraq said on Sunday eight people were killed and nine wounded when Western coalition planes bombed targets in Basra province, 340 miles south of Baghdad.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A U.S.-British air raid in southern Iraq left eight civilians dead and nine wounded, the Iraqi military said Sunday. The military told the official Iraqi News Agency that the warplanes bombed areas in Basra province, 330 miles south of Baghdad. The U.S. Central Command in Florida said coalition aircraft used precision-guided weapons to strike two air defense radar systems near Basra "in response to recent Iraqi hostile acts against coalition aircraft monitoring the Southern No-Fly Zone." It said there have been more than 120 separate incidents of Iraqi surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery fire directed against coalition aircraft this year, the most recent on Aug. 20. The Iraq report didn't provide further details about the casualties. U.S. officials have said they have no way of confirming or denying Iraqi claims of causalities but that coalition aircraft "never target civilian populations or infrastructure and go to painstaking lengths to avoid injury to civilians and damage to civilian facilities." The attacks came as Washington weighs options to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Iraqi opposition leaders are meeting in London to discuss their role in any bid to oust Saddam. U.S. and British warplanes monitoring "no fly" zones over southern and northern Iraq regularly attack Iraqi military facilities. The zones were established shortly after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurdish and Shiite Muslim groups. Iraq frequently tries to shoot down allied planes as it considers the zones violations of Iraqi sovereignty.

ANKARA, Turkey - U.S. warplanes bombed an air defense site in northern Iraq on Friday after being targeted by an Iraqi missile guidance radar system, the U.S. military said.

The planes were on a routine patrol when Iraqi radar locked on the warplanes flying near the northern Iraqi Kurdish city of Irbil, the Stuttgart, Germany-based U.S. European Command said in a statement.

"Coalition aircraft responded to the Iraqi attacks by firing on the radar site," the statement said. "All coalition aircraft departed the area safely."

The incident came at a time when the United States is considering an attack on Iraq aimed at overthrowing its leader, Saddam Hussein.

U.S. and British warplanes have been monitoring "no fly" zones over southern and northern Iraq since shortly after the 1991 Gulf War to protect the Kurdish minority and Shiite Muslims.

Iraq considers the patrols a violation of its sovereignty and frequently shoots at them.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. and British jets bombed targets in southern Iraq Tuesday for the third time in a week, wounding three civilians, the Iraqi Air Force Command said.

The U.S. Central Command said earlier the jets bombed an air defense command and control facility about 120 miles southeast of Baghdad at around 1:40 a.m. EDT.

The Iraqi air force said in a statement the raid targeted "civilian installations and public buildings" at 3:40 a.m. GMT.

"The evil American administration and its follower Britain added a new crime to their blood-stained record against our people when their planes raided civilian installations and public buildings in Missan province which lead to wounding ... three civilians," the Iraqi statement said.

Central Command said the strikes against the Amarah facility came "in response to recent Iraqi hostile acts against coalition aircraft monitoring the southern no-fly zone" and were executed using precision-guided weapons.

It was the third Western raid against Iraqi targets in a week, following a strike against a mobile radar unit Saturday and strikes by U.S. and British planes against targets in southern Iraq last Wednesday.

"Coalition strikes in the no-fly zones are executed as a self-defense measure in response to Iraqi hostile threats and acts against coalition forces and their aircraft," said Central Command, which heads U.S. military operations in the Gulf.

The U.S. military cited more than 110 separate incidents of Iraqi surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery fire directed at coalition aircraft this year.

Central Command said coalition aircraft never targeted civilian populations or infrastructure.

Tuesday's raid was the 28th this year by U.S. and British warplanes in the northern and southern "no-fly zones" of Iraq, set up after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurds in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from attack by Baghdad's forces.

The raids have increased in recent months amid threats from President Bush to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Washington accuses Baghdad of developing chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. Iraq denies the charge.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. and British jet fighters bombed targets in southern Iraq on Saturday in the second raid this week, the Iraqi Air Force Command said.

It said in a statement the planes struck civilian and public buildings in Dhi-Qar province, 375 km (250 miles) south of Baghdad.

Iraqi air defenses fired at the attacking planes, forcing them to return to bases in Kuwait, it said.

There was no immediate confirmation of the strike from Britain or the United States.

U.S. and British planes had attacked targets in the south on Wednesday, wounding four civilians, the Iraqi air force said this week.

Britain confirmed that raid, saying it was launched after a mobile tracking radar unit had locked onto the aircraft, but said it was not aware of any casualties.

Saturday's raid was the 27th this year by U.S. and British warplanes in northern and southern "no-fly zones" of Iraq, set up after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurds in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from attack by Baghdad's forces.

The raids have increased in recent months amid mounting threats from President Bush to oust President Saddam Hussein. Washington accuses Baghdad of developing chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

Iraq denies the charge and Saddam has said any U.S. invasion of his country is doomed to fail.

YahooNewsFull Coverage/AP WASHINGTON - Aircraft from the U.S.-British coalition patrolling southern Iraq bombed two Iraqi air defense sites, the U.S. Central Command said. The attack on Wednesday with precision-guided weapons at about 2100 GMT was a response to Iraqi actions threatening coalition planes patrolling the southern no-fly zone, a Central Command statement said. In Iraq, an unidentified military spokesman said four civilians were injured in the attacks, the official Iraqi News Agency reported Thursday. "The evil U.S. and British warplanes attacked residential areas and service installations in Wasit and Missan provinces ... Wednesday night," the spokesman said, according to INA. Wasit and Missan are 170 kilometers (106 miles) and 430 kilometers (267 miles) respectively southeast of Baghdad. "Our courageous air defenses drove the planes away," he told INA. The strike was the latest in a series of incidents in the no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq. Coalition planes struck an Iraqi military communications facility on Aug. 5. The no-fly zones were created after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Iraqi dissident populations from President Saddam Hussein's military. Saddam says the zones are a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and his military often tries to shoot down warplanes patrolling the areas. Central Command says Iraq has fired on coalition planes 85 times this year. The command, based in Tampa, Florida, is responsible for the region.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. fighter jets on Monday attacked an air defense command and control facility in southern Iraq in response to attempts to shoot down American and British warplanes patrolling the area, the U.S. military said.

It was the 25th strike of the year by U.S. and British attack jets in northern and southern "no-fly zones" of Iraq, established after the 1991 Gulf War to protect minorities in the country from attack by President Saddam Hussein's military.

Those tit-for-tat exchanges have increased in recent months amid mounting threats from President Bush to depose Saddam, accused by Washington of developing chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

The U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida, and officials at the Pentagon said Monday's attack occurred at about 9 a.m. Iraqi time against a command and control site 120 miles southwest of Baghdad.

All aircraft left the area safely and damage to the target was being assessed, according to the command, which has responsibility for U.S. military operations in the region.

Iraq has charged that civilians have been killed several times this year in U.S. and British air strikes on civilian targets. The Central Command reiterated on Monday that "coalition aircraft never target civilian populations or infrastructure, and go

to painstaking lengths to avoid injury to civilians and damage to civilian facilities."

Although speculation about a possible U.S. military invasion to remove Saddam from power has risen this year with growing verbal attacks on Saddam by the Bush administration, the U.S. president has stressed that he has not approved any plans to launch such an attack.

There are no current signs of a U.S. military buildup in the Gulf region. Experts testified at U.S. Senate hearings last week on the Iraq situation that as many as 250,000 troops and hundreds of warplanes may be needed to remove Saddam from power.

Those private analysts along with a growing number of U.S. lawmakers, noting that allies in Europe and the Middle East have voiced opposition to an invasion, stressed the need to plan carefully for any political void in the region should Iraq's president be killed or otherwise deposed.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq said U.S. and British warplanes struck targets in the south of the country on Sunday but no causalities were reported.

An Iraqi military spokesman, quoted by the official Iraqi News Agency INA, said American and British planes carried out 20 sorties from bases in Kuwait at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday and flew over provinces and cities in the south of the country.

"The enemy attacked our civilian and service installations in Wasit province," the spokesman said.

Iraq's ground air defenses fired at the planes and forced them to return to their bases, he added.

There was no immediate comment by the United States or Britain, whose jets patrol "no-fly" zones set up in northern and southern Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War.

The assault was the second reported in less than a week in the southern no-fly zone. Baghdad said one person was killed and 22 others wounded when U.S. and British planes struck civilian targets in the south on Tuesday.

Baghdad does not recognize the zones which the United States and Britain say were imposed to protect Muslim Shi'ites in the south and a Kurdish enclave in the north from possible attacks by Iraqi government forces.

Western planes have frequently bombed targets in the no-fly zones since Baghdad stepped up its defiance of the restrictions in December 1998.

WASHINGTON - For the second time in recent days U.S. warplanes bombed a military communications site in southern Iraq, officials said Tuesday.

A brief announcement by the U.S. Central Command said Monday's attack was in response to earlier instances of Iraqi air defense forces using radar and surface-to-air guns against U.S. and British planes that monitor a "no fly" zone over southern Iraq.

Monday's, attack and a similar one last Thursday against the same communications target, were acts of self defense, the Central Command said. The site was near Diwaniyah, about 80 miles southeast of Baghdad.

U.S. and British fighter jets have enforced "no fly" zones over northern and southern Iraq since shortly after the 1991 Gulf War. They are intended to prevent Iraqi government forces from attacking minority Kurds in the north and rebel Shiite Muslims in the south. Iraq considers the zones an unwarranted violation of its sovereignty and has vowed to shoot down a U.S. or British pilot.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq said on Friday U.S. and British planes attacked civilian targets killing five people and wounding 17 others in the south of the country on Thursday.

"At 11:15 p.m. local time yesterday evil American and British warplanes violated our airspace coming from Saudi Arabia and carried out 34 sorties," an Iraqi military spokesman said in a statement on the official Iraqi News Agency (INA).

A statement on the Web Site for U.S. Central Command in Florida, which overseas U.S. military activity in the Gulf area, said coalition aircraft struck a military target in the southern "no-fly" zone with precision-guided weapons.

"In response to recent Iraqi hostile acts against Coalition aircraft monitoring the Southern No-Fly Zone, Operation SOUTHERN WATCH Coalition aircraft used precision-guided weapons today to strike a military cable repeater station in southern Iraq..."

Military activity in the region has become more frequent in recent months amid speculation that the United States might invade Iraq to oust President Saddam Hussein, whose country has the second largest oil reserves in the world and who is accused by the United States of developing weapons of mass destruction.

British and U.S. planes patrol two "no-fly" zones set up after the 1991 Gulf War in northern and southern Iraq.

Baghdad does not recognize the zones which the United States and Britain say were imposed to protect a Kurdish enclave in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from possible attacks by Iraqi government forces.

Western planes have frequently bombed targets in the "no-fly" zones since Baghdad stepped up its defiance of the restrictions in December 1998.

"The enemy attacked civilian installations in the province of Qadissiya (Diwaniya), killing five citizens and wounding 17 others," the Iraqi spokesman said.

He said a house was destroyed and another was damaged during the attack in the center of Diwaniya city, some 180 km (110 miles) south of Baghdad.

The U.S. Central Command said it never targets civilian populations or infrastructure and that strikes in the "no-fly" zones are executed as a self-defense measure in response to hostile Iraqi threats and acts against Coalition forces.

"The last Coalition strike in the Southern No-Fly Zone was against a mobile radar unit associated with a mobile surface-to-air missile launcher on July 14, 2002," it said.

But a senior ruling Baath Party official said that there was no Iraqi military activity in the area where Western planes dropped their guided missiles.

"The evil American administration has yet added another crime to their record which is full of crimes when it attacked a residential quarter where there is no military activity...," Muhssein al-Khafaji told Iraqi television.

Khafaji said a family, consisting of a child and her father and mother, were killed during the assault. The two other victims were from the next house, he said.

The television showed pictures of destroyed houses and rescue teams were digging to take out the victims and save the wounded. It also showed some of the wounded laying in a near-by hospital.

It said a funeral procession organized in the main street of Diwaniya on Friday where participants shouted anti-American and British slogans.

The television said that the people in the province condemned the United States and Britain and expressed support for the leadership of President Saddam Hussein to defend Iraq.

Friday's assault was the third reported by Iraq in a week. Baghdad said one civilian was killed and 13 others wounded in two raids by U.S. and British planes on civilian targets in the south of the country on Saturday and Sunday.

The U.S. military said U.S. planes bombed Iraqi air defense facilities after coalition aircraft came under fire and were threatened by Iraqi air-defense units.

Saddam said on Wednesday in a televised speech marking Iraq's July 17 revolution that Washington and its allies would not be able to topple his government.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has condemned British and U.S. air strikes on Iraq, accusing them of complicating peace efforts in the Middle East and the Gulf, amid mounting speculation over U.S. plans to oust Saddam Hussein.

The U.S. armed forces bombed what they said were military targets in Iraq's southern "no-fly" zone on Saturday and Sunday, striking a mobile radar unit and air defense facilities.

Iraqi spokesmen said one person had been killed and six were wounded when allied planes struck civilian targets on Sunday. A further seven were hurt in strikes the previous day.

"Russia is convinced that such operations in illegitimate "no-fly" zones complicate the efforts of the international community to find a political and diplomatic solution to the Iraqi problem, and to ease tensions in the Middle East and the Gulf region," the

U.S. and British jets patrol "no-fly" zones in northern and southern Iraq set up by Western powers after the 1991 Gulf War. The Iraqi government does not recognize the zones, ostensibly set up to protect minority populations from possible

Russia, which has close economic ties with Baghdad, has long spoken out against U.S. plans for military action against Iraq, judged by Washington to be part of the "axis of evil" along with Iran and North Korea.

Washington, which accuses the "axis" of seeking to obtain weapons of mass destruction, says Iraq has been a threat since it invaded Kuwait in 1990, triggering the Gulf War.

TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S. warplanes bombed Iraqi air-defense facilities on Saturday after coalition aircraft patrolling a "no-fly" zone in the south of the country came under fire, the U.S. military said.

In Baghdad, an Iraqi military spokesman said seven people were wounded when U.S. and British warplanes struck civilian targets in the south of the country. The spokesman also said anti-aircraft missile defenses might have hit one of the attacking Western warplanes.

In a statement released from its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, the U.S. Central Command said the warplanes used precision-guided weapons to strike Iraqi air defense facilities in response to Iraqi attacks on coalition aircraft. The site was targeted because it helped direct the Iraqi attacks against the coalition warplanes, according to the statement.

In London, a spokesman for Britain's Ministry of Defense said none of its aircraft were involved in the incident.

U.S. and British jets patrol no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq set up by Western powers after the 1991 Gulf War. The incident was the latest in a long series of tit-for-tat exchanges in the no-fly zones.

The zones, which the Iraqi government does not recognize, were imposed to protect Shiite Muslims in the south and a Kurdish enclave in the north from possible attack by government forces.

"At 10:00 local time warplanes of the evil American and British administrations flew 30 sorties over several southern Iraqi places using air bases in Kuwait," the Iraqi military spokesman said in a statement carried by the official Iraqi News Agency.

"The criminal American and British warplanes attacked civilian targets in Dhiqar province and wounded seven civilians," he said.

The U.S. Central Command said, "Coalition strikes in the no-fly zones are executed as a self-defense measure in response to hostile Iraqi acts against coalition forces. ... Coalition aircraft never target civilian populations or infrastructure and go to painstaking lengths to avoid injury to civilians or damage to civilian facilities."

Iraq says US and British warplanes struck civilian targets in the north of the country on Thursday [July 4, 2002].

"At 12:15 am [0815 GMT] today American and British planes violated our air spaces coming from military bases in Turkey, flying over Amadiya, Zakho, Ayn Zalah, Rawandiz and Duhouk," an Iraqi military spokesman said in a statement carried by the official Iraqi News Agency (INA).

"The hostile planes attacked service and civilian installations in Nineveh province, inflicting severe damage to a house of a civilian and killing cattle," the spokesman said.

A spokesman for Northern Watch, based at the Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey said they "responded to continued Iraqi attacks with precision ordinance dropped on the elements of the integrated Iraqi air defence system".

He said Iraq's ground air defences fired at the planes and forced them to return to their bases.

US and British jets patrol no-fly zones set up by Western powers after the 1991 Gulf War.

The zones, which Baghdad does not recognise, were imposed to protect Muslim Shi'ites in the south and a Kurdish enclave in the north from possible attack by Baghdad forces.

The reported attack was the latest in a long series of tit- for-tat exchanges in northern and southern no-fly zones of Iraq over more than a decade.

WASHINGTON - U.S. warplanes monitoring a "no-fly" zone over southern Iraq bombed a military command center Friday after Iraq fired anti-aircraft artillery, the U.S. Central Command said.

In a brief statement, Central Command said the U.S. airstrike was at 3:50 a.m. EDT.

"This facility was struck because it helped direct anti-aircraft artillery attacks today against coalition aircraft authorized by the United Nations Security Council to enforce the no-fly zones in southern Iraq," it said.

U.S. aircraft have carried out such attacks frequently in recent weeks in both northern and southern Iraq. U.S. officials say the attacks are in self defense, but Iraq asserts that its air defense forces are challenging U.S. aircraft because the "no-fly" zones violate its national sovereignty.

The restricted zones were established shortly after the 1991 Gulf War to protect the Kurdish minority in northern Iraq against aerial attack from government forces and to protect Shiite rebels in the south.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Western warplanes on Wednesday attacked an Iraqi air defense site in a northern "no-fly" zone of the country in the latest of a long series of skirmishes between the two militaries, the U.S. military said.

The U.S. European Command said in a statement from its headquarters in Germany that Iraqi forces fired anti-aircraft artillery at American and British warplanes north of Ayn Zalah and they responded by dropping precision-guided bombs on an air defense target.

The statement was not more specific, but said all of the jets departed the area safely.

The tit-for-tat exchanges, which started after Western aircraft began patrolling northern and southern no-fly zones in Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War, have increased in recent months amid speculation that Washington is preparing for a possible invasion of Iraq to oust President Saddam Hussein ( news - web sites).

The United States accuses Saddam of developing weapons of mass destruction and sponsoring terrorism.

In Baghdad, Saddam warned Iraqis on Tuesday to prepare for an escalation in what he called the "American-Zionist" conspiracy against Iraq, branded by President Bush as part of an "axis of evil."

"The American-Zionist conspiracy against you (Iraqis) will gain more ferocity and rancor because the Americans and the Zionists ... see you united, organized and you are besieged and are developing," the official Iraqi News Agency quoted Saddam as saying during a cabinet meeting.

"So, the Americans and the Jews will not let you alone ... as you are an example ... in the field of refusing humility," he added.

Iraq has been under strict United Nations sanctions imposed after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

The Washington Post reported in mid-June that Bush had signed an order earlier this year directing the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations to topple Saddam.

Bush has openly declared his desire to remove Saddam by military force if necessary, but he has offered few details of how he plans to accomplish that.

He has accused Iraq of being a member of an "axis of evil", along with Iran and North Korea ( news - web sites), for backing international terrorism and trying to develop chemical, biological and U.S. and British aircraft continue to police the no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq, set up in 1991 to protect the areas' Kurdish and Shiite populations from what the allies describe as military threats from Baghdad.

Washington and London say that none of their aircraft have been downed since the war

BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraq said four people were killed on Thursday when Western warplanes launched a raid in south Iraq which the U.S. military said was prompted by Iraqi anti-aircraft fire at jets policing a "no-fly" zone.

A statement released by the U.S. military's Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, said the planes attacked an Iraqi military command-and-control center in a "no-fly" zone southeast of Baghdad.

It was the second day in a row that U.S. or British attack jets struck no-fly zones in northern or southern Iraq in an increasing round of such exchanges in recent months. The coalition jets have been patrolling the zones, which Iraq does not recognize, since the 1991 Gulf War.

The U.S. statement said the command facility, located about 165 miles southeast of the capital, was attacked with precision-guided weapons.

Damage was still being assessed and all aircraft departed the zone safely, it added.

"This facility was struck because it helped direct anti-aircraft artillery attacks against coalition aircraft authorized by the United Nations Security Council" to enforce the zones, the statement said of the strike, that occurred at 1:30 p.m. in Iraq.

An Iraqi military spokesman said in a statement carried by the official Iraqi News Agency (INA):

"At 11:05 a.m. today U.S. and British planes carried out 44 sorties from bases in Kuwait, flying over Nasiriya, Shatra, Basra, Qurna, Amarah, Salman...

"Hostile planes attacked our service and civilian installations in Meisan province, killing four people and wounding 10 others," the spokesman added.

Iraq's ground air defenses fired at the planes and forced them to return to their bases, he said.

The U.S. European Command said on Wednesday from its headquarters in Germany that U.S. and British warplanes were targeted by anti-aircraft guns in the northern no-fly zone and struck air defense targets in response. Iraq said one civilian was wounded when the planes attacked civilian targets in the north.

U.S. and British aircraft police two "no-fly" zones in northern and southern Iraq, set up in 1991 to protect the areas' Kurdish and Shi'ite populations from what the allies describe as military threats from Baghdad.

Washington and London say that none of their aircraft have been downed since the 1991 war, but the exchanges of fire have become more frequent in recent months amid speculation that the United States might be preparing to invade Iraq to overthrow President Saddam Hussein, accused by Washington of developing weapons of mass destruction and sponsoring terrorism.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. warplanes on Friday attacked a military air defense radar facility in a "no-fly" zone in southern Iraq in response to threats against western aircraft patrolling the zone, the U.S. military said.

The U.S. Central Command, based in Tampa, Florida, said in a statement that the strike was in response to attempts to shoot down U.S. and British warplanes on Thursday.

Damage to the radar command and control target at Al Amarah about 165 miles southeast of Baghdad was still being determined, the command said.

The latest in a long series of tit-for-tat exchanges in policing by western warplanes of no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq since the 1991 Gulf War came at 1:20 p.m. Iraq time (5:20 a.m. EDT), the command said.

Those exchanges have increased in recent months amid speculation that the United States might be preparing to invade Iraq to overthrow President Saddam Hussein, accused by Washington of actively trying to develop chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said in Brussels last week that Iraq, which does not recognize the no-fly zones, had become more aggressive in threatening U.S. and British jets and that might require a response from the allied forces.

But he also stressed after talks with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that he was specifically referring to action related to the western-imposed no-fly zones and not to any broader military action

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq said on Friday three people were wounded when U.S. and British planes struck targets in the south of the country, while Washington said it had launched a raid after Western jets were threatened.

U.S. official said attack aircraft had bombed a radar system in southern Iraq on Thursday in the latest incident involving warplanes patrolling a no-fly zone over the Middle Eastern country.

The U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida said aircraft from the force of U.S. and British planes used precision-guided weapons to hit "components of an offensive radar system." It did not say whether U.S. or British planes were involved.

An Iraqi military spokesman said in a statement carried by the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) that the planes carried out 30 sorties from bases in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia at 23:30 p.m. (1930 GMT) on Thursday and flew over provinces and cities in the south of the country.

"The enemy attacked our civilian and service installations in Thi qar province, wounding three people" the spokesman said.

He added that Iraq's ground air defenses fired at the planes and forced them to return to their bases.

The attack followed a series of bombings on Iraqi air defenses in response to what the U.S. military says are attacks on the patrolling aircraft from the ground.

It was the fourth such attack reported by the U.S. military since May 19. While such tit-for-tat strikes have increased in recent weeks, the pattern has gone up and down since no-fly zones were imposed in north and south Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War.

Iraq does not recognize the no-fly zones, set up to protect the areas' Kurdish and Shi'ite population from what the allies describe as military threats from Baghdad, and vowed in 1998 to challenge the patrols with anti-aircraft installations.

There has been recent speculation Washington may be planning military action to remove President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) from power. Washington says Iraq is trying to make chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

UNITED STATES EUROPEAN COMMAND -- Iraqi forces threatened Operation Northern Watch (ONW) coalition aircraft today. Iraqi forces fired anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) from a site in the vicinity of Saddam Dam while ONW aircraft conducted routine enforcement of the Northern No-Fly Zone.

Coalition aircraft responded to the Iraqi attack by delivering precision ordnance on elements of the Iraqi integrated air defense system.

Coalition aircraft have been enforcing the Northern No-Fly Zone for more than 10 years. Since Dec. 28, 1998, Saddam Hussein has opted to challenge this enforcement by firing at coalition aircraft with surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and anti-aircraft artillery and by targeting them with radar. Operation Northern Watch aircraft respond in self-defense to these threats, while continuing to enforce the No-fly Zone.

For more information, please contact the Combined Task Force Combined Information Bureau at +90-322-316-3704.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq said on Saturday 18 people were wounded when U.S. and British warplanes attacked civilian targets in the south of the country.

An Iraqi military spokesman said in a statement carried by the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) the planes carried out 28 sorties over southern Iraq on Friday night from bases in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

"At 11:00 p.m. local time (3 a.m. EDT) on Friday evil American and British warplanes attacked our civilian and service installations in Thiqar province (Nassirya), wounding 18 civilians," the spokesman said.

He added Iraq's ground air defenses fired at the planes and forced them to return to their bases.

U.S. and British jets have policed no-fly zones in southern and northern Iraq since they were set up after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurds and Shi'ite Muslims from attack by Baghdad.

There was no immediate confirmation of the Iraqi report by the United States or Britain.

If confirmed, Friday's raid would be the third this week. Washington said its warplanes made their second attack on air defenses in southern Iraq in a week on Thursday while Baghdad said two civilians were killed and two wounded in that raid.

Although President Bush recently labeled Iraq part of an "axis of evil" along with North Korea and Iran, U.S. officials have recently dampened speculation the United States might attack Baghdad to oust President Saddam Hussein.

U.S. officials say Iraq continues to work on development of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. Iraq admits it once sought to develop biological agents but says it no longer has any such weapons program.

Baghdad was forced to accept U.N. inspectors following its defeat by a U.S.-led international force in the Gulf War, but inspectors had to abandon the country in 1998.

Iraq said on Monday four people were wounded when U.S. warplanes attacked civilian targets. But Washington said it had launched a raid against a military air-defense target in the south after a missile was apparently fired at U.S. and British jets policing the southern zone.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American warplanes destroyed two Iraqi air defense targets in Iraq's southern "no-fly" zone on Thursday in the second such raid this week after Western jets were fired on, the U.S. military said.

As speculation continued about a possible American invasion of Iraq, the U.S. Central Command said in Tampa, Florida, that the jets dropped precision-guided weapons on an anti-aircraft missile system and a missile control center at approximately 1:15 a.m. Thursday Iraq time.

All aircraft departed the target areas safely, Central Command said. It was the second time this week that U.S. fighters struck targets in the zone in the latest of a long series of tit-for-tat exchanges in northern and southern no-fly zones of Iraq since the 1991 Gulf War.

U.S. officials have moved to dampen growing media reports in recent months about possible U.S. plans for any imminent military invasion of Iraq to remove President Saddam Hussein from power. Washington says Saddam is actively trying to make chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

In a speech to Germany's parliament in Berlin on Thursday President Bush called Saddam a threat to civilization who must be confronted by all means available, but earlier assured German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder: "I have no war plans on my desk."

Schroeder refused to say whether he would support U.S. military action to oust Saddam. A number of U.S. allies, including friendly Arab states, have cautioned against such a move.

Senior U.S. defense officials have said privately that such an attack could take as many as 500,000 U.S. troops and hundreds of warplanes and have hinted that any such move is not imminent while Washington is concentrating on the war on terrorism in Afghanistan. Russia and a number of America's Western allies have cautioned against such a move.

Army Gen. Tommy Franks, head of the Central Command and responsible for U.S. military activities in the Gulf and Middle East region, told reporters this week that he had received no orders to draw up a plan to depose Saddam.

This week's strikes came as Iraq and the United Nations continued discussions over the possible return of U.N. weapons inspectors to that country.

Baghdad has refused to allow U.N. weapons inspectors into Iraq since they pulled out in December 1998, but is currently discussing with the United Nations the issue of opening the door again to those inspectors.

Iraq said on Monday four people were wounded when U.S. warplanes attacked civilian targets that day. But Washington said it had launched a raid against a military air-defense target in the south after a missile was apparently fired at U.S. and British jets policing the southern zone.

"Aggression by Iraq led to the destruction of two military targets by the coalition forces charged with enforcing the southern no-fly zone," the Central Command said of Thursday's strikes.

The release said the attempt to shoot down coalition aircraft was made shortly before midnight on Wednesday in Iraq and that U.S. warplanes two hours later struck two predetermined targets to weaken Iraqi air defenses in the southern zone.

They were an anti-aircraft missile site near Nasiriyah about 170 miles southeast of Baghdad and a military aircraft and missile control center near Tallil 170 miles south-southeast of the capital.

"Coalition aircraft struck carefully pre-planned targets to neutralize hostile threats endangering our air crews," the Central Command statement said. It said that the missile system had been moved into the no-fly zone in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and was threatening the jets.

U.S. and British jets have been patrolling northern and southern no-fly zones set up after the Gulf War to protect Kurds and Shi'ite Muslims from attack by Saddam's military.

BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraq said four people were wounded when U.S. warplanes attacked civilian targets on Monday, while Washington said it had launched a raid after Western jets policing a southern "no-fly" zone were threatened.

Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold told a news briefing at the Pentagon in Washington that the U.S. warplanes had used precision-guided weapons to attack an aircraft-directional finding site at approximately 2:30 a.m. Iraq time.

All of the planes departed the area safely and there was no immediate assessment of damage to the target, he said. Another defense official, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters the target was located at as-Salman, about 170 miles south of the capital, Baghdad.

An Iraqi military spokesman said in a statement carried by the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) that the planes carried out 44 sorties from bases in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia flying over Nissirya, Samawah and As-Salman in Muthanna province and areas in Basra province in the south.

"The enemy attacked civilian and service installations in Muthanna province wounding four people," the spokesman said.

He added Iraq's ground air defenses fired at the planes and forced them to return to their bases.

The attack was the latest in a long series of exchanges in northern and southern no-fly zones of Iraq over more than a decade and came as Iraq and the United Nations continued discussions over the possible return of U.N. weapons inspectors to Iraq.

It also occurred as speculation continued about possible plans for a U.S. military invasion of Iraq to remove President Saddam Hussein from power. Washington says Iraq is actively trying to make chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

U.S. and British jets have been patrolling northern and southern no-fly zones set up after the 1991 Gulf War (news - web sites) to protect Kurds and Shi'ite Muslims from attack by Saddam's military.

"Coalition aircraft observed a contrail from a rocket or missile directed against them in the southern no-fly zone and took action," Newbold told reporters. "Aircraft dropped precision weapons at the direction-finding system that supported the missile launch."

"They are always, always trying something new (and) different in order to confront our aircraft. And we are always willing to make sure they can't do it effectively," he said.

The inspectors left more than three years ago on the eve of U.S.- British air strikes aimed at punishing the country for failing to cooperate with the inspectors.

Iraq's U.N. Ambassador Mohammed Aldouri told Reuters on Friday that his country could accept the return of inspectors "in principle." But he said Baghdad first wanted a response from Washington on several issues, including the "horizon of the lifting of (U.N.) sanctions" against Iraq.

Iraqi forces attacked Operation Northern Watch (ONW) coalition aircraft today. Iraqi forces fired anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) from sites in the vicinity of Saddam Dam around 3:20 p.m. local time while ONW aircraft conducted routine enforcement of the Northern No-Fly Zone.

Coalition aircraft responded to the Iraqi attacks by dropping precision guided ordnance on elements of the Iraqi integrated air defense system.

For more information, please contact the Combined Task Force Combined Information Bureau at +90-322-316-3704.

ISTANBUL, Turkey - U.S. and British planes patrolling a no-fly zone over northern Iraq bombed Iraqi air defense systems Friday in response to anti-aircraft fire, U.S. officials said.

The bombs were dropped after Iraqi forces east of Mosul fired on a routine air patrol, the U.S. European Command, based in Stuttgart, Germany, said in a written statement.

In Baghdad, the official Iraqi News Agency quoted a statement from the Iraqi military that described the raid as an attack on civilian facilities.

"Enemy warplanes bombed civil and service installations in the province of Mosul," the statement said.

It was the first bombing of northern Iraq since February and the third this year, U.S. officials said, and came amid intense debate on whether Iraq will be the next target in what the U.S. administration is calling a war against terrorism.

U.S. and British planes based in southeast Turkey have been flying patrols over northern Iraq since 1991. The two countries say the patrols are designed to protect the Kurdish population of northern Iraq from Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).

Washington has hinted it could launch a military campaign to overthrow Saddam if the Iraqi leader continues to deny admission to United Nations (news - web sites) weapons inspectors, who are tasked with checking if the Baghdad regime has dismantled its weapons of mass destruction. The inspectors have been barred from Iraq since 1998.

Talks between Iraq and the United Nations on the return of the inspectors were due to begin mid-April, but Iraq has asked for a delay on the grounds that talks would be dominated by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict if they were held at this stage.

U.S., British Jets Bomb Southern Iraq April 16, 2002 BAGHDAD, April 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Warplanes of the United States and Britain bombed southern Iraq on Monday, an Iraqi military spokesman said, without mentioning if there were any casualties. The unidentified spokesman told the official Iraqi News Agency (INA)that at 11:45 (0745 GMT) and 15:05 (1105 GMT) local time, the hostile planes made a total of 37 armed sorties over Iraq's southern provinces of Thi-Qar, Muthana and Najaf. The U.S. and British planes bombed "civil and service installations" in the Thi-Qar Province, the spokesman added. Thi-Qar Province, along with other six provinces in southern Iraq, have been located inside the southern no-fly zone, set up by the U.S.-led Western allies after the 1991 Gulf War with the claimed aim of protecting the Shiite Muslims from the persecution of the Iraqi government. A similar air exclusion zone was also established in northern Iraq to allegedly protect the Kurdish population there. Iraq has never recognized the two no-fly zones and has regularly opened fire at the Western planes enforcing them. U.S. President George W. Bush has branded Iraq as part of an "axis of evil" and strongly warned that Iraq may become the next target of the U.S.-led war on terror.

Iraq says three wounded in no-fly zone air strike.

BAGHDAD, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Iraq said three civilians were wounded on Thursday when Western warplanes struck targets inside the country's northern no-fly zone.

The U.S. military said its aircraft attacked Iraqi air defence sites in the zone after radar and anti-aircraft guns targeted patrolling Western planes.

"At 12:00 a.m. (0900 GMT) today U.S. and British warplanes carried 13 sorties coming from Turkey...and flew over Zakho, Dibis, Amadiya, Aqrah, Duhouk and Ain Zala," an Iraqi military spokesman said in a statement carried by the official Iraqi News Agency INA.

"The enemy attacked civilian and service installations... wounding three civilians," the spokesman said.

He added Iraq's ground air defences fired at the planes and forced them to return to their bases.

The U.S.-European command based in Germany said all warplanes left the area safely. There was no immediate report of damage on the ground.

U.S. and British jets have been policing no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq for more than a decade. The zones were set up after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurds and Shi'ite Muslims from attack by President Saddam Hussein's military.

The exchange, the latest in a long series, came amid recent media reports of growing debate within Washington over what to do about U.S. determination to remove Saddam from power.

Although President George W. Bush recently branded Iraq as part of an "axis of evil" along with North Korea and Iran, there has been no indication that the United States might attack Baghdad.

U.S. officials say that Iraq continues to work on the development of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. Iraq admits that it once sought to develop biological agents but says it no longer has any such weapons programme.

Baghdad was forced to accept U.N. arms inspectors following its defeat by a U.S.-led international force in the Gulf War, but the inspectors abandoned the country in 1998.

Despite Iraq's denial, U.S. officials say Baghdad has used the last three years to press ahead with weapons development.

U.S., British Warplanes Attack Iraqi Antiaircraft Site
Source: AL-BAWABA NEWS 25/01/2002

     U.S. and British warplanes attacked antiaircraft batteries in southern Iraq on Thursday, the third raid of this kind this week, according to the U.S. Air Force. On Wednesday, AP reported that warplanes struck near Tallil, an estimated 170 miles southeast of Baghdad. The same site was attacked Monday.
     Meanwhile, the White House declared Iraq must accept a return of UN arms inspectors. "The president stands strong and firm in his insistence that Saddam Hussein live up with the agreement that he himself made," Ari Fleischer, a spokesman for President George W. Bush, told reporters. Asked about any upcoming US
decisions on possible steps to adopt in dealing with Iraq, Fleischer said: "No, nothing. There is nothing to report."
     In a related development, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz rejected a "partial US implementation" of a key UN resolution on sanctions in talks with Russian officials aimed at averting a new UN sanctions regime. According to AFP, following talks with his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov, Aziz blamed Washington of not respecting UN Security Council resolution 687 which, he emphasized, links UN weapons inspections in Iraq to the lifting of an economic embargo against Baghdad.
     "For seven and a half years, UN inspectors controlled and destroyed weapons as much as they wanted." Despite that, the second point was not respected, he told reporters. "We cannot agree with a partial implementation of the resolution in which the United States chooses to fulfil one part of the resolution and not
the other," he conveyed..