Allied Aircraft Strike Five Iraqi Command, Control Targets

By Jacquelyn S. Porth
Washington File Security Affairs Writer

Washington - U.S. and British aircraft fired precision-guided
stand-off weapons against five Iraqi command-and-control targets
February 16 in what a senior U.S. military official described as a
"self defense measure."

Marine Corps Lieutenant General Gregory Newbold, director of
operations for the Joint Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon shortly
after allied aircraft had cleared Iraqi airspace that the operation
was conducted because the coordination of Iraqi surface-to-air (SAM)
missile and anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) fire against coalition
aircraft enforcing United Nations Security Council resolutions posed
"an increased threat to our aircraft and air crews."

The recommendation to mount the strike was made at the tactical level
by military forces that routinely fly daily missions in the region as
part of Operation Southern Watch. The strike followed a period of
increased coordination of Iraqi military assets in January and
February during which, Newbold said, the Iraqis "were getting closer
and closer to our aircraft." The frequency and sophistication of Iraqi
air defense coordination activity, he said, left no choice but to
conduct the strike.

The coalition strikes were "in direct response to Iraqi actions over a
cumulative period of time over the past two months," Newbold said,
which posed an increasing threat to our aircraft. The military officer
said all indications suggest that both munitions and strikes "were
conducted efficiently and effectively." Bomb damage assessments have
yet to be filed, but military officials say early indications are that
the weapons performed as expected.

The U.S. Central Command, headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in
Florida, which has overall responsibility for enforcing the Northern
and Southern No-Fly Zones in Iraq reported more than 60 incidents
involving increased AAA and SAM engagements of coalition aircraft
since January 1. The recommendation to carry out the strike against
targets south of Baghdad was elevated to President Bush for his
approval.

Newbold said that none of the 24 aircraft used in the mission passed
north of the 33rd parallel, the line marking the Southern No-Fly Zone.
Pentagon spokesman Navy Rear Admiral Craig Quigley said the overall
number of strike and support aircraft was much higher than two dozen.

News reports said F-15, F-16 and F-18 aircraft flew as part of the
operation. Quigley said the sea- and land-based aircraft launched from
the aircraft carrier Harry S Truman as well as from a variety of
installations in the area. He also said supporting aircraft carried
out missions such as electronic jamming and countermeasures as well as
suppression of enemy air defenses. Without specifically identifying
them, he said different types of precision guided stand-off weapons
were used.

In response to a reporter's question, Newbold said he does not
anticipate follow up air strikes because this mission accomplished its
objectives. "We think we accomplished what were looking for in this
sense: to degrade, disrupt the ability of the Iraqi air defenses to
coordinate attacks against our aircraft."

Quigley said the Iraqi systems were assessed "as being complementary
and additive to the air defense capability of the Iraqis in the
Southern Watch No-Fly Zone. So this wasn't something that happened
today or yesterday, this was cumulative over a period of time, but
contributed significantly to the effectiveness of those air defense
systems."

While Iraqi reports say civilians were wounded in the attack, U.S.
military official say the targets selected were isolated from areas
heavily populated by Iraqi civilians. Newbold said that there are no
indications that any of strikes went amiss.

U.S. Central Command issued a February 16 statement noting that
coalition aircraft "never target civilian populations or civilian
infrastructure." Coalition aircraft also go to great lengths, it said,
"to avoid injury to civilians and damage to civilian facilities."

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)