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| Axis of Evil |
| Allied Planes Strike Southern Iraq |
| 2002-10-02 |
| Allied aircraft launched an airstrike in the southern no-fly zone over Iraq after Iraqi aircraft penetrated the restricted area. It brought to 45 the number of strikes reported this year by the United States and the United Kingdom. "They placed a mobile radar south of the 33rd parallel," the boundary for the southern zone, said Navy Commander Frank Merriman, spokesman for Central Command in Tampa, Fla. "And they flew military aircraft into the zone." Coalition planes responded, targeting precision-guided weapons at the radar at Al Kut, some 100 miles southeast of Baghdad, at 5 p.m. EDT Tuesday, a statement from the command said. Y'know, this might not be the right approach to take with somebody who's looking for a fight. Sammy might want to think twice about this sort of thing. His luck could run out: he could hit something. It was the sixth time in a month that coalition aircraft have struck at Al Kut, targeting it also on Aug. 29 and 30 and Sept. 5, 7 and 9. Pentagon officials said Iraqis keep moving mobile radar equipment to the area. Iraq considers the patrols a violation of its sovereignty and frequently shoots at the planes with anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles. In response, coalition pilots try to bomb Iraqi air defense systems. They're still working on that "cause -> effect" stuff... Thanks to Steve for this one, too... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |