COALITION AIRCRAFT STRIKE INTEGRATED AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM
May 24, 2002 RELEASE NUMBER: 02-05-06
MACDILL AFB, FL - In response to recent Iraqi hostile acts against Coalition aircraft monitoring the Southern No-Fly Zone, Operation SOUTHERN WATCH Coalition aircraft used precision-guided weapons today to strike three components of an offensive integrated air defense system in southern Iraq at approximately 3:50 p.m. EDT today. This was the fourth verified attempt by Iraq to destroy a Coalition aircraft in the last 17 days.
Target battle damage assessment is ongoing. Coalition strikes in the No-Fly Zones are executed as a self-defense measure in response to Iraqi hostile acts and acts against Coalition forces and their aircraft. The last Coalition strike in the Southern No-Fly Zone was against two anti-aircraft assets on May 22, 2002.
Coalition aircraft never target civilian populations or infrastructure and go to painstaking lengths to avoid injury to civilians and damage to civilian facilities.
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