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Iraq: U.S. Missiles Kill 11 People
By Vijay Joshi
Associated Press Writer
Monday, January 25, 1999; 8:14 p.m. EST
BASRA, Iraq (AP) -- U.S. missiles slammed into
residential neighborhoods in southern Iraq on Monday,
demolishing sturdy, stone-walled homes. Iraqi officials
reported at least 11 people killed.
U.S. officials said its Air Force and Navy jets fired at air
defense systems in response to ``threats by anti-aircraft
artillery fire'' and by four Iraqi warplanes flying south of
the 33rd parallel in violation of the no-flight ban.
Pentagon officials said it was likely that U.S. jets
targeting the Iraqi air defense installations misfired and
that at least one high-explosive missile may have killed
civilians in and around the city of Basra.
The senior U.S. commander in the Persian Gulf, Marine
Gen. Anthony Zinni, told reporters at the Pentagon that
``we deeply regret any loss of civilian lives or civilian
casualties or injuries.''
But Zinni said military officials had not confirmed the
results of U.S. attacks. He also said Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein was ultimately to blame because of
his ``attacks against us and his history of disregard for
the welfare of his own people.''
The missiles hit five areas of southern Iraq, including
the working-class al-Jumhuriya neighborhood on the
outskirts of Basra, Iraqi officials said. Several homes in
that neighborhood were destroyed, their roofs caved in.
Broken dishes and kitchen utensils were strewn among
the rubble. Civilians worked late into the night to clean
the debris from the morning strike.
Ahmed Ibrahim Hamash, the governor of Basra, said
two aircraft fired five missiles that killed 11 people and
injured 59.
The missiles struck in the morning and Hamash said
most of the casualties were women, children or the
elderly because many men had already left for work.
The missiles hit three civilian areas in or near Basra, as
well as a site near the airport and another near the
Rumeilah oil fields.
An engineer at the oil field was reported injured in the
attacks.
Iraqi officials took reporters to the al-Jumhouri hospital,
one of the city's two main hospitals. Several injured
children and women were at the hospital. Iraqi officials
said they had been wounded in the strikes.
In al-Jumhuriya, four homes were completely destroyed
and six damaged, including Lufti Swadi's house. The
blast ripped the front door off the 28-year-old baker's
home, shattered parts of the walls and scattered the
furniture.
In the village of Abu al-Khaseeb, four houses were
destroyed and another four damaged. Iraqi officials
were still assessing damage in the other civilian area
that was struck.
Hamash said there were no military installations in the
areas that were hit.
``There is not even a police station there, let alone a
military installation,'' he said. ``The United States claims
to be a humanitarian nation but they are enemies of that
concept.''
At the al-Jumhouri hospital in Basra, Marwa Ali, 6, lay
on a hospital bed swathed in a pink blanket. Dried blood
was caked on her nostrils. She was about to go to
school to take an exam when the missile struck, her
sister Zeinab, 25, said.
``It began with a big bang,'' said Zeinab Ali, who was
slightly injured with cuts and bruises. ``I could see my
house coming down on us. There was dust all over.''
Marwa suffered multiple wounds to the scalp and a
deep knee injury.
Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz condemned the attack
and said the United States and its allies would be held
responsible. His remarks were reported by the official
Iraqi News Agency.
Basra, 350 miles south of Baghdad, is within the
southern ``no-fly'' zone that the United States and its
allies set up after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Shiite
Muslims who rose up against Saddam's government.
In the northern no-fly zone Monday, U.S. aircraft
attacked three separate Iraqi anti-aircraft batteries, U.S.
officials said. They said the aircraft fired missiles and
dropped bombs after Iraq targeted or fired on the
warplanes.
The Vatican condemned the bombing raids, saying
Monday in a statement from Mexico City that the military
action ``confirms once again'' Pope John Paul II's belief
that ``military measures don't resolve problems in
themselves, rather they aggravate them.''
The Vatican has consistently opposed the military
actions against Iraq.
Hamash, meanwhile, vowed defiance after the attacks.
``We will continue to oppose any over-flying of our
territory by enemy aircraft,'' he said.
Iraq has been challenging the no-fly zones with
increasing regularity since Dec. 16-19 airstrikes by the
United States and Britain. Those attacks were aimed at
punishing Iraq after U.N. weapons inspectors released
a report saying that Baghdad was obstructing their
work.
The British Defense Ministry said its warplanes were
not involved in the latest attacks.
On Sunday, U.S. aircraft fired on two surface-to-air
missile sites in separate incidents in the northern no-fly
zone, U.S. officials said. It was a second consecutive
day that U.S. warplanes patrolling the no-fly zones
opened fire after being targeted.
The latest attack comes one day after Arab foreign
ministers met in Egypt and refused to condemn last
month's airstrikes.
Information Minister Humam Abdel-Khaliq claimed that
the Arab foreign ministers had given the United States
and Britain ``an Arab green card'' to attack Iraq.
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