Posted on 08/27/2002 7:20:21 AM PDT by maquiladora
CAIRO, Egypt - A U.S.-British air raid in southern Iraq this weekend destroyed a major military surveillance site that monitors American troops in the Persian Gulf, witnesses said Tuesday.
The Iraqi military said the allied warplanes on Sunday bombed areas in Basra province, 330 miles south of Baghdad, killing eight civilians and wounding nine others.
The U.S. Central Command in Florida said coalition aircraft used precision-guided weapons to strike two air defense radar systems near Basra "in response to recent Iraqi hostile acts against coalition aircraft monitoring the southern no-fly zone."
The witnesses, Iraqis who said they were at the scene and were reached by telephone in neighboring Jordan on Tuesday, said one of the installations hit in Sunday's raids was the main headquarters of the army intelligence in southern Iraq that held a huge military surveillance unit.
Many Iraqis travel frequently to Jordan, which has strong trade and political ties with Iraq.
The site in Ashar, south of Basra, was hit by four missiles, which destroyed most of its buildings and left its equipment in shambles, a witness said on condition of anonymity.
He said he saw huge fire and black columns billowing from the buildings shortly after powerful explosions, which echoed in Basra, a major port city on the strategic Shatt Al Arab waterway.
Another witness said on condition of anonymity that troops and militia of the ruling Baath Party immediately cordoned off the area while ambulances and fire engines rushed inside the tightly guarded complex.
An Iraqi dissident in Amman, the Jordanian capital, said the site was recently equipped with advanced surveillance gear used to spy on U.S bases in the Persian Gulf and especially in Kuwait, where the United States is believed to have some 10,000 troops posted. The dissident, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, was not among the witnesses.
The Iraqi report didn't provide any details about the raids or the casualties. U.S. officials have said they have no way of confirming or denying Iraqi claims of causalities but that coalition aircraft "never target civilian populations or infrastructure and go to painstaking lengths to avoid injury to civilians and damage to civilian facilities."
The attacks came as Washington weighs options to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Iraqi opposition leaders say they are discussing their role in any bid to oust Saddam.
U.S. and British warplanes monitoring "no fly" zones over southern and northern Iraq regularly attack Iraqi military facilities. The zones were established shortly after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurdish and Shiite Muslim groups.
Iraq, which considers the zones violations of its sovereignty, frequently tries to shoot down allied planes. The patrols give coalition pilots intelligence and practical experience that could be helpful should the United States decide to go to war against Saddam.
However, may I ask for an extra prayer for my son's friend and all his fellow flyers who are flying those missions over Iraq.
The Iraqi military said the allied warplanes on Sunday bombed areas in Basra province, 330 miles south of Baghdad, killing eight civilians and wounding nine othersWait a minute! Y'all both said exactly what I was THINKING!Funny how according to them, our raids kill only civilians
Yeah, right. Civilians killed, no military, at a major military site. More B...SH-ussein
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I'll be happy to pray for your son's friend as well as all of our Military. May God protect them all.
"Slowly I turn... step by step... inch by inch..."
Princess Leah, you've misread #8. The plain meaning is: Iraqis lie about their casualties. Dead bodies at MILITARY sites will generally be those of MILITARY personnel.
You're very welcome. God bless you for praying for our Military. This Iraq mess does concern me. I have a feeling they're really going to need all of our prayers. I don't think this is going to be a replay of Desert Storm. I don't trust our Arab "Allies" and I sure don't trust Saddam. He's crazy and he's dangerous.
But I thought that was a report from the Iraqi side and maybe they wanted to elevate the size as a morale booster. Would be nice to hear from Rumsfeld as to more details!
Have a couple of Granson's that are all hot to get into the action. One is a Senior in HS and just signed up for the Army Reserve, likes the Idea of the Special Forces. The younger one has a ex Marine Dad so as soon as he is old (2 more years) enough I expect him to enlist!
I don't think it is gonna be so easy this time.
I expect to see biological stuff used by Hussein.
Hope Saddam forgets to take his blood pressure medication.
Hey Gritty, it's still there,but am confused about the date in the lower right !
The cartoon that is!
18 Posted on 05/14/2001 18:15:18 PDT by Gritty
From this thread:
A pity Viet Nam and Latin America impinge on my ability to petition God for mercy on those who know not what they do.
They know damn well what they do.
Bless your boys for wanting to serve their country. It is indeed noble.
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