Key Iraqi site reported wrecked

AP Wire ^ | Aug. 27, 2002

[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.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Where did that come from?

Not disagreeing because a_turk posted something about Turkey troops going in and taking over a sizable airbase in Norther Iraq.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I'll look thru some of the lists!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Found this:

"At 11:15 p.m. local time yesterday evil American and British warplanes violated our airspace coming from Saudi Arabia and carried out 34 sorties," an Iraqi military spokesman said in a statement on the official Iraqi News Agency (INA).

From here:

Iraq says five killed, 17 hurt in Western attack

I think there must be another one that said 35! will look some more!

[cmsgop]

GlobeIntel.Net

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Here it is:

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. and British jets bombed targets in southern Iraq on Sunday, killing eight people and wounding nine others, an Iraqi military spokesman said.

Britain said U.S. or British planes attacked an Iraqi radar site.

"At 8:55 a.m. local time (11:55 a.m. EDT) today U.S. and British planes ... flew 35 sorties using air bases in Kuwait," the Iraqi military spokesman said in a statement carried by the official Iraqi News Agency.

From here:Us?Britain bombs Basra - 8 killed

[PhilDragoo]

New moon is 9/7...

Rosh Hashanah celebrates the creation of the world and is a time for reflection and self evaluation. It is one of the Jewish tradition's holiest days, the days when Jews most commonly attend services at synagogue. Rosh Hashanah begins this year (2002) on the evening of September 6th.

What an irony:

Stalin's Mini-Me flees Baghdad for asylum in Russia on Rosh Hashanah.

For Iraqis, too, will celebrate the creation of the world and find a time for reflection and self evaluation.

Or, in the alternative, die protecting So-damn Insane's retreating rump.

Choose life.

[blam]

"Here it is:"

Thanks. Damn you're good!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The power of the lists!

[bybybill]

The post war press conference will last longer than the war. The Iraqis aren`t going to die for Saddaammmnn

[eureka!]

Re#55 Yep. And I wouldn't be surprised if there was some action going on within, i.e. spooks taking out people and things and the opposition getting busy. W has a plan that is being executed as I type...