[vger]

And just exactly who supplied the SAMs to saddamn that he has been shooting at U.S. Pilots for the last 3 years before we liberated Iraq?.

[Tommyjo]

"And just exactly who supplied the SAMs to saddamn that he has been shooting at U.S. Pilots for the last 3 years before we liberated Iraq?."

The French supplied short-range and medium range SAMs to Iraq during the 1980's. The same decade as the US was supplying Bell 214ST helicopters and supplying Saddam with vital overhead intelligence to assist their war with Iran. The French Air Force were flying No Fly Zone missions alongside US and UK air forces up until the following dates: France ceased NFZ missions in the Northern Zone during 1996 and ceased missions in the Southern Zone in December 1998. France returned to flying reconnaissance over Iraq using Mirage IV's in the months and weeks before the current conflict with Iraq. The vast majority of SAMs operated by Iraq were Soviet supplied.