Iraqi Civilian Injured in U.S.-British Air Raids

An Iraqi civilian was injured Thursday in U.S. and British warplanes' attacks in northern and southern Iraq, an Iraqi military spokesman announced.

The spokesman said that at 11:15 (0815 GMT), 10 formations of U.S and British warplanes made 22 armed sorties over the northern provinces of Dohuk, Neineva and Erbil, injuring one person and

having some civilian installations bombed.

The spokesman added that at 13:30 (1030GMT), 14 U.S. and British warplanes formations made six sorties from Kuwait and 34 sorties from Saudi Arabia over the southern provinces of Basra, Misan, Thi-Qar, Qadissiyah, Wasit, Muthana and Najaf.

On both occasions, the enemy planes were challenged by the Iraqi air defense artillery and were forced to flee back to their air bases in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Since the U.S. and Britain launched the four-night air strikes against Iraq in December 1998, their warplanes have made a total of 19,387 sorties, among them 3,474 from Turkey and 15,913 from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, over the two no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq, said the spokesman.

The no-fly zones were imposed on Iraq by the U.S.-led Western allies following the 1991 Gulf War, with the claimed aim of protecting the Kurds in the north and the Shiite Muslims in the

south against possible attacks by Iraqi government troops.

Iraq has never recognized the two restricted zones for lack of explicit authorization from the U.N. Security Council.

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