Some 100 US and British aircraft launched an attack on a major Iraqi air defence facility, in the biggest single operation in Iraq for four years, the Daily Telegraph reported Friday.
The raid on Thursday appeared to be a prelude to possible special forces operations before any US-led war on Iraq, the British newspaper said.
The aim seemed to be the removal of air defenses to allow easy access for special forces helicopters to fly into Iraq via Jordan or Saudi Arabia to hunt down Scud missiles before a possible war within the next few months, the report added.
Twelve warplanes dropped precision guided bombs in the raid, but scores of other support aircraft also participated, the daily said, adding that it was the first time a target in western Iraq had been attacked during air patrols of the southern no-fly zone.
The US military said in a statement Thursday that US and British warplanes bombed "an air defense command and control facility at a military airfield 380 kilometers west and slightly south of Baghdad" in response to "recent Iraqi hostile acts".
On its part, Iraq said that US and British warplanes had bombed civilian installations southwest of Baghdad, without causing any casualties. (Albawaba.com)
