Iraq Says its Missile hit Allied Warplane

Iraq claimed Wednesday 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 United States and Britain denied any of their planes were hit.

A spokesman for the US Central Command, Marine Maj. Brad Lowell, said "we can account for all our aircraft" in the region.

Iraq's official news agency quoted an unidentified military spokesman as saying: "Our heroic anti-aircraft missile units confronted the enemy warplanes and, with God's help, hit one of them."

The agency said the plane was spotted heading toward Saudi Arabia, the Iraqi News Agency reported.

A spokeswoman for Britain's Ministry of Defense also rejected the Iraqi claim. "It's not true at all," she said, adding that Britain can account for all its aircraft.

U.S. and British warplanes were flying over southern Iraq Tuesday afternoon, the Iraqi news agency said. It did not say whether the plane hit was American or British.

US and British aircraft patrol southern and northern "non-fly zones" set up after the 1991 Gulf war to prevent Iraqi forces from attacking Kurds in the north and Shiite Muslims in the south. They also were meant to provide early warning of any Iraqi movements toward Kuwait.

Iraq considers the zones illegal and has vowed to shoot down coalition planes.

(China Daily December 27, 2001)