ACCESSION NUMBER:262632
FILE ID:POL402
DATE:01/14/93
TITLE:AIR STRIKE ON IRAQI TARGETS "BIG SUCCESS," BUSH SAYS (01/14/93)
TEXT:*93011402.POL
AIR STRIKE ON IRAQI TARGETS "BIG SUCCESS," BUSH SAYS
(Attack on missile sites made skies safer) (460)
By Alexander M. Sullivan
USIA White House Correspondent
Washington -- The skies over Iraq "are a lot safer for our pilots,"
President Bush declared January 14, even though only half the intended
Iraqi targets were hit.
Chatting briefly with reporters, Bush called the January 13 air strike on
Iraqi missile batteries below the 32nd Parallel "a big success."
Earlier, the president's national security affairs adviser, Brent Scowcroft,
confirmed reports that only half the Iraqi surface-to-air missiles sites
had been hit by the British, French and U.S. aircraft sent to punish Saddam
Hussein's defiance of United Nations and Persian Gulf coalition orders.
According to news reports, about 80 strike aircraft took part in the raid,
which followed a January 6 ultimatum to Baghdad demanding removal of the
missiles from the southern "no-fly" zone imposed at the time of the Persian
Gulf war.
U.S. F-15s, F-16s, F-18s and F-117s took part in the raid, together with
French Mirages and British Tornadoes. Additional support aircraft also
participated. The planes bombed Iraqi radar and missile sites near
Nasiriya, Samawa, Najaf and Al Amara. The sites are not near population
centers, according to the reports.
Bush, giving his first assessment of the results of the limited attack, told
reporters, "I think the mission was a big success. The skies are a little
safer for our air crews, our pilots, our airmen today....I'm very proud of
the way (the airmen) performed....Let's just hope that Saddam Hussein got
the message....I hope that he will comply with these United Nations
resolutions."
The president told a questioner it is "too early to tell" whether Saddam
Hussein will end his defiance of the U.N. Security Council. Baghdad has
rescinded its attempt to ban flights by U.N. aircraft inside Iraq and has
said it will no longer cross into the de-militarized zone between Iraq and
Kuwait. In addition, the Iraqi regime has sabotaged U.N. relief shipments
to the Kurds in northern Iraq.
Bush said the air strike, described by U.S. officials as a limited assault
meant to make a political rather than a military point, "certainly sends
that message loud and clear to him (Saddam Hussein)."
Asked about Scowcroft's assessment that only half the intended targets had
been hit, Bush retorted, "What about it? The skies are a lot safer today
for our pilots. They went in there (with) a wide array of defensive
equipment threatening them and that threat has been severely reduced.
That's the bottom line. That's the important point....I'm very proud of
them."
1NNN
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