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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

March 11 2000
RELEASE NUMBER: 03-01-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COALITION AIRCRAFT STRIKE IRAQI MILITARY TARGETS IN THE SOUTH

MACDILL AFB, FL - At approximately 7 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 Royal Air Force GR-1 "Tornado" aircraft enforcing the Southern No-Fly Zone used precision-guided munitions to strike Iraqi military anti-aircraft artillery batteries in southern Iraq.

All coalition aircraft have returned safely and battle damage assessment is ongoing.

The coalition strikes came in response to several surface-to-air missile launches against coalition aircraft today.
To date, there have been more than 450 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 150 times since Operation Desert Fox. The last strike in the Southern No-Fly Zone was on Feb. 19, 2000.
Coalition aircraft do not target civilian populations or infrastructure and seek to avoid injury to civilians and damage to civilian facilities.