Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
NEWS RELEASE
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
FEBRUARY 19, 2000
RELEASE NUMBER: [00-02-03]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COALITION AIRCRAFT STRIKE IRAQI MILITARY TARGETS
MACDILL AFB, FL - At approximately 6:40 a.m. Eastern Standard Time today, U.S. Navy F/A-18 "Hornet" and F-14 "Tomcat," U.S. Air Force F-16 "Fighting Falcon" and British Royal Air Force GR-1 "Tornado" aircraft enforcing the Southern No-Fly Zone used precision guided munitions to strike Iraqi military radar and anti-aircraft artillery sites in Southern Iraq.
There were no coalition aircraft damaged during the incident and battle damage assessment is ongoing.
Saddam Hussein continues to order his forces to shoot down coalition aircraft patrolling the No-Fly Zones. The strikes against the Iraqi military sites today were a measured response intended to degrade Iraq's ability to threaten coalition aircraft, while minimizing the potential for collateral damage and risk to civilians.
To date, there have been more that 450 separate incidents of Iraqi surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery fire directed against coalition pilots since Operation Desert Fox. Iraqi aircraft have violated the Southern No-Fly Zone more that 150 times during the same period.
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