Baghdad Claims It Hit Allied Plane With Missile

Iraq claimed that one of its surface-to-air missiles hit an allied jet fighter patrolling the skies over southern Iraq but that the plane did not go down and was seen flying toward Saudi Arabia. The U.S. and Britain denied that any of their aircraft were hit.

U.S. and British jets patrol southern and northern “no-fly” zones over Iraq set up after the 1991 Persian Gulf War to prevent Iraqi forces from attacking Shiite Muslims and Kurds. The zones also were meant to provide warning of any Iraqi movements toward Kuwait.

Iraq considers the zones illegal.