US, British Planes Hit Southern Iraq: ReportUS and British warplanes on Friday attacked three air-defense targets in the no-fly zone in southern Iraq, a local TV report said.Some 50 aircraft participated in the attack, the largest since February when U.S. and British jets bombed southern outskirts of the Iraqi capital. Baghdad said two people were killed and 20 others injured in the attack. Friday's attack was in response to Iraq's stepped-up campaign to shoot down a U.S. or British plane patrolling and bombing the two no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq. It was not immediately known if Friday's attacks had caused any causalities. Friday's strike was the second this week. U.S. and British planes bombed targets in the northern no-fly zone on Tuesday. The U.S. has vowed to launch a bombing campaign to retaliate against Iraq's attempts to shoot down a coalition plane. Iraq, meanwhile, has said it would defend itself by all means against U. S. military strikes. The two no-fly zones were set up by the U.S.-led Western allies after the 1991 Gulf War with the claimed aim of protecting the Kurds in the north and Shiite Muslims in the south from the possible attacks of the Iraqi government forces. Iraq does not recognize the zones for lack of authorization from the United Nations. |
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