----------------------------------
U.S., Britain bombard Iraq
Hussein urges Iraqis to fight
December 17, 1998
Web posted at: 2:47 a.m. EDT (0647 GMT)
BAGHDAD (CNN) -- U.S. and British forces
launched a "strong, sustained" series of
airstrikes against Iraq early Thursday,
targeting military and security installations
throughout the country, U.S. President Bill
Clinton said.
Iraqi officials said one missile landed in a
residential neighborhood, and they claimed
at least two people died and 30 were injured
in the attack. They invited a CNN camera
crew to a Baghdad hospital, where several
people appeared to be severely burned.
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ordered the
Iraqi people to defend their country.
In a statement carried by the official Iraqi
News Agency, he said, "Wicked people
bombarded several targets on the soil of
your great Iraq, thinking that they will twist
your great will and your determination.
Resist and fight them as we have always
done. God gives you victory, and disgrace
will be theirs."
Pentagon sources said about 200 cruise
missiles were fired from ships and manned
fighter bombers in the first wave of what will
be an "open-ended" attack, designed to
degrade Iraq's ability to produce nuclear,
chemical and biological weapons.
Anti-aircraft guns first blasted into the night sky over
Baghdad at about 1 a.m. local time
(5 p.m. EST Wednesday), as explosions thundered in the
distance. CNN Senior
International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour reported
seeing smoke and orange
plumes of flames in parts of the city. Similar attacks
were seen sporadically through the
night.
Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it had received
reports that a missile had
landed in southern Iran apparently linked to the U.S.
and British military attack on Iraq.
A spokesman says the ministry had summoned the
ambassador of Switzerland, which
represents U.S. interests in Iran, and the British
charge d'affaires to demand an
explanation, according to Reuters. The spokesman did not
have any details.
Iranian officials reported
that a missile hit the
southern Iranian city of
Khoramshahr near the
border with Iraq. It
caused damage and panic in
the city, but no injuries
or deaths were reported.
Officials believe the
missile had probably hit the
town by mistake because
it's near the Iraqi city of
Basra.
U.S. Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright said
the attacks were not
designed to "get Saddam
Hussein." But she said the
United States would
step up its contacts with
opposition groups and
"work with them in a
sustained way."
Clinton accused Hussein of
failing to live up to
his commitment to allow
unrestricted access to
U.N. weapons inspectors.
"We had to act, and act
now," he said in a
televised address.
"Saddam Hussein must not
be allowed to threaten
his neighbors with nuclear
weapons, poison gas
or biological weapons,"
Clinton said from the
Oval Office. Clinton said
he decided weeks ago to
give Hussein one last
chance to cooperate. But
he said U.N. chief weapons
inspector Richard
Butler reported that Iraq
had failed to cooperate --
and had in fact placed new
restrictions on
weapons inspectors.
"Saddam's deception has
defeated their
effectiveness," Clinton
said. "Instead of the
inspectors disarming
Saddam, Saddam has
disarmed the inspectors."
British Prime Minister
Tony Blair said the attack,
named Operation Desert
Fox, was necessary
because Hussein never
intended to abide by his
pledge to give
unconditional access to U.N.
inspectors trying to
determine if Iraq has
dismantled its biological,
chemical and nuclear
weapons programs.
"He is a serial breaker of
promises," Blair said of
the Iraqi president.
Speaking outside his
Downing Street residence,
Blair said Britain had no
quarrel with the Iraqi
people and was taking
every possible care to
avoid civilian casualties.
The U.N. Security Council
held a special debate
Wednesday evening on the
military action.
Diplomats said the meeting
of the 15-nation
council would enable
members to voice their
views on the crisis, but
no council action was
expected in the form of a
resolution or other
decision.
Iraq's Ambassador to the
U.N., Nizar Hamdoon,
asked the council "to
fulfill its responsibilities as
set forth in the U.N.
Charter and request the
immediate unconditional
cessation of what is
under way in Iraq."
U.N. Secretary-General
Kofi Annan expressed
regret the standoff had
not been resolved
diplomatically.
"This is a sad day for the United Nations and for the
world," he said.
"However daunting the task, the United Nations had to
try, as long as any hope of
peace remained. I deeply regret that today these efforts
have proved insufficient."
Western leaders had conferred about possible military
action against Iraq since late
Tuesday, when Butler handed over his latest report to
Annan.
Clinton and Blair had discussed the latest crisis during
a phone conversation on
Tuesday.
Early Wednesday, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook
had warned Iraq that military
strikes could come quickly and without warning.
application/ms-tnef
