--- In [email protected], "authfriend" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], "authfriend" <jstein@> wrote: > <snip> > > MDixon's absolutely right on this, Lawson. I don't > > know where the idea that the Iraqis never fired on > > U.S. planes got started, but it's just wrong, unless > > the military is blatantly lying. > > Just a few examples from the media reporting: > > > BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq said Tuesday that it was exercising its > right to retaliate against what it called violations of its air space > and that Iraqi planes were now flying in the "no-fly" zones in > northern and southern Iraq. > > Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan made the statement one day after > U.S. aircraft patrolling the northern no-fly zone fired on an Iraqi > anti-aircraft battery in what Washington said was an act of self- > defense after the U.S. planes came under Iraq missile fire. (December > 9, 1998) > > http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9812/29/iraq.02/ > > > A spokesman said the attacks -- three in the southern zone and five > in the northern zone -- occurred after Iraqi radar "illuminated" > American and British planes patrolling the zones and after artillery > was fired at the planes. (March 6, 1999) > > http://www.cnn.com/US/9903/06/iraq.attack.02/index.html > > > Last year Iraqi air defenders frequently challenged allied air > patrols by targeting them with radars or firing anti-aircraft > artillery guns or surface-to-air missiles. (April 22, 2002) > > http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,50901,00.html > > > U.S. and British pilots daily play a dangerous cat-and-mouse game as > Iraq tries to shoot them down and they retaliate....The Iraqis are so > afraid of U.S. anti-radar missiles that they usually fire their > missiles without turning on their short-range targeting radar, giving > them little chance of hitting a plane, officials say. (August 25, > 2002)
My gues is that saddam ordered them to fire, so they did, but radar crews generally kept their radar off in order to avoid dying.
