How about this: More shooting in Iraq
(remember 1/10 oz of gold per missile) this will go on until Clinton's problems are over - one way or the other.
dailynews.yahoo.com
Tuesday January 5 10:21 AM ET
U.S. Warplanes Fire on Iraq Planes
By ROBERT BURNS Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Four U.S. warplanes fired air-to-air missiles at Iraqi planes today in a confrontation in the ''no-fly'' zone over southern Iraq, a senior U.S. administration official said.
The U.S. missiles apparently failed to hit the Iraqi planes, although one Iraqi plane was believed to have crashed, apparently after running out of fuel, the official said.
The American planes - two Air Force F-15 strike aircraft and two Navy F-14 fighters - returned safely after the confrontation, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The incident marked an escalation of tensions between Iraq and the United States and Britain over enforcing the ''no-fly'' zones in northern and southern Iraq. Iraq considers the restrictions illegal.
The incident happened at about 2:30 a.m. EST, the U.S. official said.
President Clinton has vowed to continue banning Iraqi flights in the restricted zones, arguing that Saddam Hussein's military still represents a threat to minority Kurds in the north and Shiite Muslims in the south.
David Leavy, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said today, ''The president has made it clear we will enforce the no-fly zones vigorously. The Iraqi violations are at their own peril.''
Meantime, the State Department said one of Saddam's sons directed the murder of hundreds of Iraqi dissidents last November in the Shiite region of southern Iraq.
Spokesman James P. Rubin said Monday tensions in the south, a stronghold of anti-Saddam sentiment, rose after the assassinations of two senior Islamic clerics this summer.
He said there have been reports of mass arrests throughout the southern region and in the Shiite areas outside Baghdad over the past six weeks - in addition to hundreds of summary executions of dissidents at two prisons.
''The repression reportedly reached a peak in November, with hundreds killed in actions directed personally by Qusai Hussein,'' Rubin said.
''Regime military action against the Shiites is an intrinsic and continuing part of this campaign of repression. Since 1991 the regime has been carrying out the widespread and brutal repression of the Shiite population of southern Iraq.''
Rubin said opposition sources from the Shiite areas reported that seven villages were recently destroyed or turned into military outposts.
He added that more than 2,000 civilians who were unable to flee were reportedly taken hostage by regime forces and possibly sent to Baghdad. They were made up largely of the old, the infirm, women and children, he said.
As a means of protecting Iraqi Kurds in the northern part of the country and the Shiites in the south, the United States, Britain and France have forbidden Iraq to send military flights over these areas through the establishment of ''no-fly zones.''
Saddam calls the zones illegal and vows to fight what he sees as violations of Iraqi airspace. In two recent clashes, U.S. jet fighters fired on Iraqi anti-aircraft batteries after allegedly being fired on by Iraqi missiles.
also, NBC reported we have a plane down, ran out of fuel(yeah like we believe that) pilot OK per last reports. Far more gold in a plane than just a missile(if navy plane, even more than air force) - fly by wire.
rh |
