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 29, 1999
RELEASE NUMBER: 99-11-07
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COALITION AIRCRAFT STRIKE IRAQI MILITARY RADAR SITE
MACDILL AFB, FL - - At approximately 5:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time today, a U.S. Navy F-14 "Tomcat" enforcing the Southern No-Fly Zone used precision guided munitions to strike an Iraqi military radar site approximately 170 miles southeast of Baghdad near the city of An Nasiriyah.
All coalition aircraft have returned safely and battle damage assessment is ongoing.
The strike came in response to anti-aircraft artillery fire directed at coalition aircraft earlier today.
To date, there have been more than 370 separate incidents of Iraqi Anti-Aircraft Artillery and surface-to-air missile fire directed at coalition pilots. Iraqi aircraft have violated the Southern No-Fly Zone more than 140 times since Operation Desert Fox.
The military radar site was targeted to further degrade Iraq's ability to jeopardize coalition pilots and aircraft enforcing the Southern No-Fly Zone in support of United Nations' mandates. Our actions today were an appropriate response to reduce this threat.
Coalition aircraft do not target civilian populations or infrastructure and seek to avoid injury to civilians and damage to civilian facilities.
11/30/99 1:35:51 AM
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