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
NOVERMBER 13, 1999
RELEASE NUMBER: 99-11-03
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COALITION AIRCRAFT STRIKE SAM SITE
MACDILL AFB, FL - At approximately 11:20 a.m. Eastern Standard Time today, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18s "Hornets" and U.S. Navy F-14 "Tomcats" enforcing the southern No-Fly Zone used precision-guided weapons to strike an Iraqi surface-to-air missile site in southern Iraq.
Coalition aircraft struck a SAM site near Al Kut, approximately 95 miles southeast of Baghdad. All coalition aircraft have returned safely and battle damage assessment is ongoing. The strike came in response to anti-aircraft artillery fire against coalition aircraft earlier today; additionally, establishing a SAM site below 33 degrees North is a clear threat to the pilots enforcing the southern No-Fly Zone. This is only the latest in a continuing pattern of Iraqi provocations against coalition forces enforcing UN Security Council resolutions.
To date, Iraq's military has made more than 500 direct provocations, including more than 130 No-Fly Zone violations and more than 360 separate incidents of Iraqi surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery fire directed against coalition aircraft since Operation Desert Fox in December 1998.
The site was targeted to further degrade Iraq's ability to jeopardize coalition pilots and aircraft enforcing United Nations' mandates. The last coalition strikes were against anti-aircraft artillery batteries and a military radar site on November 11.
Coalition aircraft do not target civilian populations or infrastructure and seek to avoid injury to civilians and damage to civilian facilities. U.S. and coalition aircraft are part of Operation Southern Watch and are responsible for enforcing No-Fly Zones over southern Iraq.
11/13/99 2:38:13 PM
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