Iraq Threatens to Hit Turkey If Patrols Persist
Iraq’s vice president threatened Monday to attack an air base in Turkey used by U.S. and British warplanes, along with other American and British bases in the region, if the jets continue patrolling Iraqi skies.
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright promised swift U.S. retaliation in the event of an Iraqi attack.
Taha Yassin Ramadan’s threat, coming in an interview with Radio Monte Carlo monitored in Baghdad, marked the first time in years Iraq has threatened to attack neighboring Turkey.
U.S. and British jets based at Incirlik, in southern Turkey, have struck almost daily at Iraqi defense sites, after being targeted by Iraqi defenses while patrolling the northern “no-fly” zone.
Ramadan also repeated Iraq’s threat made Sunday against bases in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait from which U.S. and British jets patrol a southern no-fly zone.
“If the Turkish base continues attacking Iraq, it will certainly be [targeted] like other bases [in the Persian Gulf],” Ramadan said.
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