US, British Jets Hit Three Targets in Southern Iraq

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, December 15, 2002

US, British Jets Hit Three Targets in Southern Iraq

US and British warplanes attacked three Iraqi air defense facilities on Saturday after Iraqi military aircraft violated the southern no-fly zone, the US Central Command said.

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US and British warplanes attacked three Iraqi air defense facilities on Saturday after Iraqi military aircraft violated the southern no-fly zone, the US Central Command said.

The allied warplanes used precision guided weapons to target the three Iraqi military air defense facilities in response to Iraqi threats against coalition aircraft, the Central Command saidin a statement.

The allied warplanes hit targets at al-Kut, 100 miles southeastof Baghdad, Qal'at Sukkar, 170 miles southeast of the capital, andal-Amarah, 165 miles to the east-southeast, the statement said.

Pentagon officials said on Friday that an Iraqi fighter jet attempted to lead two US fighter planes over a battery of surface-to-air missiles in the southern no-fly zone.

Aware of the missiles' location, the US planes turned south to avoid the potential trap, a US Defense Department spokesman said.

"The pilots knew the location of the missiles because of training and coalition surveillance capabilities," he added.

US and British aircraft have patrolled the southern and northern no-fly zones since the end of the Persian Gulf War in 1991. The zones were set up to deter the Iraqi air force from attacking rebels in the north and the south.

However, Iraq does not recognize the zones, saying the patrols violate its sovereignty.

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