Allied Planes Attack Iraqi Sites

Warplanes taking part in U.S. and British patrols over a “no-fly” zone in southern Iraq attacked communications sites Saturday after Iraqi forces fired at the aircraft, the U.S. military said.

The U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said the aircraft used precision-guided weapons to target six unmanned sites.

The sites were between Al Kut, about 100 miles southeast of Baghdad, and Basra, about 275 miles southeast of Baghdad, the statement said.

U.S. and British jets have increasingly attacked Iraqi air defense missiles, radar and communications for months in the northern and southern no-fly zones.

This year, Iraqi air defenses have fired at coalition aircraft more than 100 times and have violated the southern zone on three days, the Central Command said. The patrols have responded by striking Iraqi military targets more than 40 times, the statement said.