HEADQUARTERS,
UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND
7115 South Boundary Boulevard
MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101
Phone: (813) 828-5894; FAX: (813) 840-5629; DSN 968-5894
August 17, 1999
RELEASE NUMBER: 99-08-05
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COALITION AIRCRAFT STRIKE TARGETS IN SOUTHERN IRAQ
MACDILL AFB, FL - At approximately 6:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time today, U.S. Air Force F-16 "Fighting Falcon," U.S. Navy F/A-18 "Hornet" and F-14 "Tomcat" and British GR-1 "Tornado" aircraft enforcing the Southern No-Fly Zone used precision guided munitions to strike four Iraqi military radar sites and a surface-to-air missile site in southern Iraq.
Coalition aircraft struck two military radar sites and a surface-to-air missile site in Al Kut, a military radar site near Jassan, and a military radar site in the vicinity of Ali Al Gharbi. All aircraft have returned safely and battle damage assessment is ongoing.
The strikes followed several incidents of Iraqi Anti-Aircraft Artillery fire directed at Coalition planes patrolling the Southern No-Fly Zone yesterday. During the past week, Iraqi gunners have targeted coalition aircraft in nearly 20 separate incidents.
These hostile acts represent the latest of more than 115 no-fly zone violations and more than 95 incidents involving Iraqi surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft artillery and target tracking radar illuminations against coalition aircraft in the Southern No-Fly Zone since Operation Desert Fox.
U.S. and coalition aircraft are part of Operation Southern Watch and are responsible for enforcing United Nations sanctions and restrictions of the no-fly zones in Iraq. Our actions today are an appropriate response to the continued pattern of Iraqi provocations.
8/17/99 1:58:22 PM
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