Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 24, 1993 TAG: 9301240100
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
IRAQ FIRES AT U.S. PLANES
Three U.S. Navy warplanes were fired on Saturday in the southern no-fly zone of Iraq and one bombed the Iraqi position that attacked them, a Pentagon source said.It was the third incident in as many days in Iraq as Saddam Hussein continued to test the Clinton administration despite his declaration of a unilateral cease-fire to honor the new U.S. president.
The three aircraft, one A-6 Intruder and two FA-18 fighters, were flying a nighttime patrol when the incident occurred, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Iraqis fired flares, anti-aircraft artillery and directed search radar at the warplanes, said the official. After the incident, all three planes returned safely to the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk in the Persian Gulf.
Pentagon spokesman Army Maj. Michael Doble said the A-6 reported seeing flashes and tracers, apparently fired by anti-aircraft artillery, while flying a routine night patrol at 11 p.m. local time, or 3 p.m. EST.
He said the Navy plane used infrared sensors to identify the source of the firing, and dropped a 1,000-pound laser-guided bomb in response. Doble said bomb damage assessment was not available and he had no information on other planes on the patrol.
White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers said President Clinton had received "preliminary reports" about the situation and had no immediate comment. She stood by her statement made earlier in the day: "If Iraq takes aggressive action, we will continue to respond. That's been the United States policy and that will continue to be the policy under President Clinton."
A second Pentagon official confirmed the attack. He said it was unclear whether the site that directed fire was one of those that was hit by U.S. warplanes last week.
The official said, however, that he suspected it was not. He said an updated report on the incident was not expected until today.
Last week, during the final days of the Bush administration, allied planes launched two attacks in southern Iraq, effectively destroying four permanent air defense sites. However, the Iraqi military was able to move several mobile anti-aircraft batteries to avoid the attacks.
Those strikes were in retaliation for Baghdad's refusal to abide by U.N. resolutions, including its ban of visits by U.N. weapons inspection teams.