HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------- Wednesday, 26 December, 2001, 18:58 GMT
Iraq 'hits' allied
aircraft
Iraq refuses to recognise the no-fly
zones
Iraq has said it "hit" a US or British fighter plane with
surface-to-air missiles, according to reports.
"Brave Iraqi men in the missile forces hit one of the enemy's planes," the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) quoted a military spokesman as saying.
A spokesman for the US Central Command, Marine Major Brad Lowell, said "we can account for all our aircraft" in the region, while a spokeswoman for Britain's Royal Air Force said she was not aware any British planes had gone missing in the area. INA quoted the Iraqi military spokesman as saying "enemy warplanes came under missile fire while carrying out raids on the provinces of Muthanna and Najaf". The spokesman said the plane "was seen fleeing toward Saudi airspace" after it was apparently hit. Planes targetted US and British aircraft have been patrolling no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq since they were set up in 1991 to protect Kurdish and Shia communities. Iraq refuses to recognise the legitimacy of the zones and has stepped up efforts to shoot down allied planes over the past few months.
Iraq occasionally claims to have hit allied aircraft, and has said it has shot down three US spy planes this year. In September, Iraq said it shot down a US spy plane over the south of the country. At the time, a spokesman for the US-UK military task force in the Persian Gulf said an unmanned aircraft had been lost. A US spy plane was also lost over Iraq two weeks earlier, although the Pentagon did not confirm the circumstances. The latest report comes at a time of mounting speculation that Iraq will be the next target in America's war against terrorism. Last month, President George W Bush called Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein "evil" and warned him to readmit United Nations weapons inspectors to the country or "find out" the consequences. ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================ |
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