lennart
03-03-03, 16:29
Senior officials at the Pentagon say US and British forces have been attacking Iraqi military installations in an aggressive shift in strategy in the no-fly zones over the country.
The strikes, which are being seen as a further stage in the preparation for war, have focused on rocket launchers and other weapons in the south which could be used against Allied troops if an invasion were to take place.
The no-fly zones - which have never been sanctioned by the United Nations - were imposed by the US, Britain and France after the 1991 Gulf War, in what was described as a humanitarian effort to protect Shia Muslims in the south and Kurds in the north.
Downing Street insisted however that its pilots were continuing to act in a defensive not offensive capacity - and that their actions were sanctioned by the United Nations.
"They respond to threats they encounter," said the prime minister's spokesman.
News of the strikes came on the heels of warnings by Iraq that it would cease co-operation with weapons inspectors if the US continued to move towards war without the backing of the United Nations.
The strikes, which are being seen as a further stage in the preparation for war, have focused on rocket launchers and other weapons in the south which could be used against Allied troops if an invasion were to take place.
The no-fly zones - which have never been sanctioned by the United Nations - were imposed by the US, Britain and France after the 1991 Gulf War, in what was described as a humanitarian effort to protect Shia Muslims in the south and Kurds in the north.
Downing Street insisted however that its pilots were continuing to act in a defensive not offensive capacity - and that their actions were sanctioned by the United Nations.
"They respond to threats they encounter," said the prime minister's spokesman.
News of the strikes came on the heels of warnings by Iraq that it would cease co-operation with weapons inspectors if the US continued to move towards war without the backing of the United Nations.