- About 100 American and British aircraft took part in
an attack on Iraq's major western air defence installation yesterday in
the biggest single operation over the country for four years.
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- The raid appeared to be a prelude to the type of special
forces operations that would have to begin weeks before a possible American-led
war. It was launched two days before a war summit between President George
W Bush and Tony Blair in America.
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- The Prime Minister promised that Britain would be alongside
the Americans "when the shooting starts".
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- The raid seemed designed to destroy air defences to allow
easy access for special forces helicopters to fly into Iraq via Jordan
or Saudi Arabia to hunt down Scud missiles before a possible war within
the next few months.
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- Although only 12 aircraft dropped precision-guided bombs
on to the H3 airfield, 240 miles west of Baghdad and close to Jordan, many
support aircraft took part.
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- The strikes were carried out by nine American F15 Strike
Eagles and three RAF Tornado GR4 ground attack aircraft flying from Kuwait.
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- At least seven types of aircraft took part. Fighter cover
was provided by US F-16 Fighting Falcons and RAF Tornado F3s from Saudi
Arabia. RAF VC10 tanker aircraft flying from Bahrain were among the support
aircraft.
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- These also included EA6b Prowlers, which send out signals
to confuse enemy radar, and E3a Awacs aircraft that co-ordinate operations
and carry out reconnaissance of any response.
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- RAF Tornados also took part in the reconnaissance. American
central command refused to go into detail about the number of aircraft
involved in the raid.
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- It said: "Coalition strikes in the no-fly zones
are executed as a self-defence measure in response to Iraqi hostile threats
and acts against coalition forces and their aircraft."
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- The Pentagon said that the raid was launched in "response
to recent Iraqi hostile acts against coalition aircraft monitoring the
southern no-fly zone".
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- Iraq had made 130 attempts to shoot down coalition aircraft
this year.
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- The Ministry of Defence in London refused to confirm
that RAF aircraft had taken part, but defence sources said that Tornado
ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft played a key role. The attack
on what the American central command described as an "air defence
command and control facility" was the first time that a target in
western Iraq had been attacked during the patrols of the southern no-fly
zone.
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- Until yesterday, all strikes had been against air defence
sites in the south, around Basra, Amara, Nassairya and Baghdad.
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- Central command said it was still assessing the damage
caused by the attack. If the air defence installation was not destroyed,
a second raid is expected.
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- As well as blinding Iraqi radar to any special forces
helicopters, the loss of the H3 installation would allow allied aircraft
mounting major raids on Iraq a trouble-free route into the country.
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- In a further sign that America was preparing for war,
a Pentagon official confirmed that heavy armour, ammunition and other equipment
had been moved to Kuwait from huge stores in Qatar.
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- Thomas White, the army secretary, said: "We have
done a lot with pre-positioned stocks in the Gulf, making sure that they
are in the right spot to support whatever the president wants to do."
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- Any war on Iraq is likely to begin with a gradual intensification
of attacks on air defences. But yesterday's raid appears more likely to
be related to the special forces Scud hunts.
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- It was the SAS which specialised in the attempts to hunt
down the Scuds during the Gulf war. Although the raids were largely unsuccessful,
they spawned a series of rival books by former members of the regiment.
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- Mr Bush, speaking in Louisville, Kentucky, said that,
besides having talks with Mr Blair, he would be meeting the leaders of
France, Russia, China and Canada over the next few days. He would tell
them that "history has called us into action" to oust Saddam
Hussein, the president of Iraq.
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- He said he was looking forward to the talks, but suggested
that the US could do the job on its own if need be.
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- "I am a patient man," he said. "I've got
tools; we've got tools at our disposal. We cannot let the world's worst
leaders blackmail, threaten, hold freedom-loving nations hostage with the
world's worst weapons."
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- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/09/06/
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