Iraqi President Discusses Air Defense with Military AidesIraqi President Saddam Hussein met Tuesday with top military officials to discuss means of improving Iraq's air defense system, the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.This was the second meeting Saddam held with his military aides since US and British warplanes launched air strikes against southern areas of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad Friday evening. Attending the meeting were Military Industry Minister Abdul Tawwab Al-Mulla and Air Defense Commander Shahin Yassin Mohammad, INA said. During the meeting, they discussed how to upgrade Iraq's air defense system in order to face future attacks by the United States and Britain. Saddam praised the steadfastness of the Iraqi people, saying that "the Iraqi people are on the right side, while the enemies are on the wrong side," the news agency added. He also stressed that the Arab people are "on the Iraqi side and the aggression against Iraq was also against the Arab people." Two civilians were killed and 20 others injured in the air strikes, the first on targets outside the no-fly zones, imposed by the Western allies in the north and south of Iraq in 1991. Iraq has vowed to take military measures to avenge the air strikes. |
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