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
November 5, 1999
RELEASE NUMBER: 99-11-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COALITION AIRCRAFT STRIKE IRAQI MILITARY TARGETS IN THE SOUTH
MACDILL AFB, FL - - At approximately 4:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time today, U.S. Air Force F-16 "Falcon," U.S. Navy F/A-18 "Hornet" and F-14 "Tomcat," and British Royal Air Force GR-1 "Tornado" aircraft enforcing the Southern No-Fly Zone used precision guided munitions to strike Iraqi military targets in Southern Iraq.
Coalition aircraft struck Iraqi Anti-Aircraft Artillery battery sites and a military radar site at Tallil, AAA sites near As Samawah, and a military radar site near Al Kut and a radar site near An Nasiriyah.
All coalition aircraft have returned safely and battle damage assessment is ongoing.
The strikes against the Iraqi military radar and AAA sites today were intended to degrade Iraq's ability to threaten coalition aircraft, while minimizing the potential for collateral damage and risk to civilians.
Coalition pilots continue to encounter a well-documented pattern of almost daily AAA fire with a constant threat of Iraqi surface-to-air missile attack. To date, there have been more than 350 separate incidents of Iraqi AAA and surface-to-air missile fire directed at coalition aircraft. Our actions today were an appropriate response to reduce this threat to U.S. and coalition aircraft patrolling the Southern No-Fly Zone in support of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
11/5/99 10:09:00 AM
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