WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. and British jets Tuesday bombed an Iraqi mobile surface-to-air missile platform that had been moved into the southern no-fly zone, potentially endangering coalition aircraft enforcing the zone.
The missile system was south of Al Amarah, 165 miles southeast of Baghdad, when it was struck, at around 2 p.m.
This is the second strike in the southern no-fly zone in December. The first occurred Dec. 1 against air defense facilities between Tallil and Al Basrah.
Coalition aircraft have also blanketed the area with nearly 250,000 leaflets warning Iraqis not to fire on coalition aircraft or repair communications and radar facilities damaged by bombing raids.
There have been two strikes against Iraqi military facilities in the northern no-fly zone in December after coalition aircraft came under artillery attack.
U.S. and British jets have been enforcing the no-fly zones since shortly after the Persian Gulf War in 1991. They were put in place to protect Kurdish and Shiite minorities in the north and south of Iraq.
By prohibiting an Iraqi military presence, the no-fly zones have also resulted in a relatively free and flourishing Kurdish enclave in northern Iraq, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and other Pentagon officials say.
U.N. Security Council resolutions called for the protection of the groups from Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who launched helicopter and ground attacks on the areas after the Gulf War. The United States, Britain, France and other countries interpreted those resolutions to create the no-fly zones, which were not specifically authorized by the international body.
France largely dropped out of the enforcement of the zones after the United States led a 4-day attack on Baghdad in December 1998 in retaliation for Iraq's refusal to allow U.N. arms inspectors unfettered access to weapons sites.
The inspectors were withdrawn and four years have passed between inspection. They were resumed late last month after the United Nations passed a new resolution under U.S. pressure demanding Iraq's disarmament.
