Iraq Says Over 1,140 Killed in US, British Air Raids

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, May 30, 2002

Iraq Says Over 1,140 Killed in US, British Air Raids

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U.S. and British air raids on the two no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq since their setup have left 1,142 Iraqis killed and 1,261 others wounded, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri Ahmed said in a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday.

Ahmed accused the United States and Britain of violating the U. N. Charter and the International Law, and practising "state terrorism" against Iraq, the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.

Ahmed affirmed Iraq's rights of self defense against "the continuous and hostile terrorist acts" by the United States and Britain, the INA said.

The two no-fly zones were set up by the U.S.-led Western allies after the 1991 Gulf War to allegedly protect the Kurds in the north and Shiite Muslims in the south from the persecution of the Iraqi government.

Iraq has never recognized the two air exclusion zones for lack of clear authorization from the U.N. Security Council and has regularly opened fire at the patrolling Western planes.

U.S. and Britain have intensified attacks on the two air exclusion zones recently. Iraq said five civilians were injured when its northern part was bombed on Tuesday.

This was the fourth time in the past 10 days that U.S. and British jets raided the two no-fly zones.

Four civilians were injured when U.S. and British jets bombed the southern Muthana Province on May 20. Iraq said two were killed and two others injured when the Western planes bombed Thi-Qar Province on May 23. U.S. and British air strikes in southern Iraq on May 25 left 18 people wounded, according to Iraqi sources.

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