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World - Middle East

U.S. planes fire at Iraqi air-defense site

graphic January 14, 1999
Web posted at: 7:54 a.m. EST (1254 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. fighter aircraft patrolling the northern no-fly zone over Iraq fired missiles at an Iraqi air-defense site Thursday, after being threatened by hostile radar, Pentagon officials said.

A U.S. F-16 fired a HARM radar-seeking missile at a radar that is normally associated with an anti-aircraft gun system northwest of Mosul, the officials said.

U.S. and British planes patrolling the no-fly zones normally fly above the effective range of anti-aircraft guns, which can reach only about 10,000 feet (3,000 meters), but under new guidelines, the pilots are allowed to fire at any threat to their safety.

A U.S. F-15 also launched a precision-guided missile at an Iraqi SA-6 mobile surface-to-air missile battery in the some area, the officials said.

All planes returned safely to Incirlik base in Turkey. There were no immediate reports of damage.

It was the fourth consecutive day of such incidents over Iraq's northern and southern no-fly zones, which are being patrolled by U.S. and British aircraft. The zones were set up after the Gulf War to protect ethnic minorities from attack by the troops of President Saddam Hussein.

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