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To: pallmer who wrote (4214)	12/20/2002 1:28:03 PM
From: pallmer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29602

-- UPDATE 1-U.S., British warplanes launch more raids on Iraq -- (Adds Iraqi spokesman, paragraphs 2-3) WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - American and British warplanes attacked Iraqi air defences in a southern "no-fly" zone on Friday in the fifth such raid in a week, the U.S. military said. An Iraqi military spokesman in Baghdad, quoted by the Iraqi News Agency, said U.S. and British planes attacked civilian installations in the southern provinces of Dhi Qar, Wasit and Basra, and that Iraqi anti-aircraft and missile batteries fired back. The spokesman said the planes carried out 46 sorties from bases in Kuwait and flew over a number of southern cities. U.S. Central Command said the planes launched precision bombs against two air defence communication facilities near Basra and Nasiriyah in response to unspecified "Iraqi acts against coalition aircraft" policing the zone. The United States and Britain declared no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War, saying they were designed to protect Kurds in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from Iraqi forces. Iraq does not recognise the zones. Incidents such as this week's air raids have multiplied in recent months as the United States builds up forces in the region in preparation for possible war against Iraq. The Iraqi government has said the U.S. and British planes frequently strike civilian sites and kill innocent people. U.S. officials say civilians are never targeted. Washington says Iraq has weapons of mass destruction and has threatened to go to war if necessary to disarm Baghdad. Iraq denies having such weapons. U.N. arms inspectors returned to Iraq last month after a four-year absence to search for any weapons of mass destruction under a tough new U.N. Security Council resolution that warns Baghdad of "serious consequences" if it fails to comply. (C) Reuters 2002. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world. n3618377 20-Dec-2002 18:27:12 GMT