British and U.S. planes strike Iraqi targets
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain confirmed Thursday that U.S. and British fighter aircraft had struck targets in southern Iraq earlier this week but said it was not aware of any casualties.
"Coalition aircraft were in operation in the southern no-fly zones over Iraq late Tuesday. Self-defense action was taken against a mobile tracking radar unit which had locked onto our aircraft," a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said.
Iraqi Air Force Command said earlier Thursday the planes had bombed civilian and service targets shortly before midnight Wednesday in the provinces of Missan and al-Wassit, wounding four civilians. It also said its air defenses had fired at the attacking aircraft.
But the British spokesman said he knew of no casualties: "We are not aware of any casualties and we take absolute care in all our operations to limit any casualties."
The raid was the first in 10 days and the 26th strike of the year by U.S. and British attack jets in northern and southern "no-fly zones" of Iraq, established after the 1991 Gulf War to protect the Kurds of the north and the Shi'ite Muslims in the south from attack by Baghdad forces.
The tit-for-tat exchanges have increased in recent months amid mounting threats from President Bush to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Washington accuses Baghdad of developing chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
Iraq denies the charge and Saddam has said any U.S. invasion on his country is doomed to fail.
08/15/02 14:31 ET
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